Act Your Age, Not Your Shoe Size
by SaturatedSilhouette
Summary: And now let me spin you a tale of two boys, who do all these weird things, like make lots of noise. Let's hope Dalton admins don't catch a whiff, or else we may not have such a fine ship as Niff...
1. Chapter 1

The irritating sound of a phone vibrating against wood sounded right next to Nick's head, dragging him unwillingly out of sleep. He slapped at it blindly, trying to shut it up so he could go back to sleep. The vibrations made it turn in a circle, and Nick could just about hear it cackling at him as it jumped out of his way every time. A pillow to the face from the other bed made him get up and turn it off, rubbing the sleep from his light brown eyes. Turning to his roommate, Nick rolled his eyes when he saw that Jeff had already fallen asleep again with his head buried in his pillow. The unnecessarily bright screen of Nick's phone read 7am, signaling it was time again for the sleepy Warblers to drag themselves out of bed. On his way around Jeff, Nick snatched up one of the many textbooks sprawled on the floor, forgotten during their rush to finish homework last night…or was it this morning? He dropped it somewhere on the blonde's body, receiving a middle finger and an angry grunt in thanks.

"Get up, we got an hour before class starts." Their conversations in the morning were always primitive, and probably would have been mildly rude, if they still weren't both half asleep as they stumbled around the room.

An unintelligible noise, which was probably a sentence, sounded from the pillow Jeff was hiding in. Nick sighed in over exaggerated exasperation.

"C'mon, Jeff, we've been through this; I don't speak pillow. Now get your ass out of bed, you're not hung over, which means I'm not dressing you, 'cause you'd actually remember it this time." One Monday morning after a Warbler party, Jeff had been so hung over he'd become Nick's puppet, for lack of a better term. Nick had been forced to dress him and move him around on his own, which was an experience neither of them cared to talk about. Even if it was your roommate and best friend, something's just awkward about dressing another person. Since then, it had become an unspoken rule to never have Warbler parties on a Sunday.

"Mmph, fine, I'm up, I'm up, are you happy, Mom?" Jeff flipped over to glare at Nick, whose sarcastic voice floated out of the bathroom.

"Yes, dear, just _ecstatic._" Jeff grumbled again, combing his rampant blonde hair with his fingers in a failed attempt to smooth it down.

_Alright, note to self, never go to sleep with wet hair again…._

Jumping when the shower was flipped on, he eventually threw back the navy blanket covering his body, shivering as the cold temperatures of winter in Ohio hit his skin.

_No wonder Nick always gets on me for sleeping in a wife-beater, this really does suck._

Most of the time, Nick would just fall asleep in whatever he'd changed into after dinner. They had to stay in uniform when they were outside the dorm buildings, so most everyone just kept the blazer on until after dinner. Sometimes, Jeff would fall asleep on his homework and wake up with angular motion or gravity equations smeared on his face, which Nick would then proceed to solve on his torso. Their weekends often started like this, so Jeff tended to show up to weekend Warbler practice with what looked like an alien language scrawled on his body.

Still in a haze, he trudged over to the window and pulled the blinds open, much to the dismay of his retinas. Swearing softly, turned away to dig through a pile of clothes on a table in the corner, trying to find a pair of pants that weren't covered in wrinkles. The boys never really bothered to keep their clothes separate, they were basically the same size anyway. Jeff was a little taller than Nick, but it was all in his torso. So, they didn't put in the brainpower to keep their pants separate. Besides, it was a uniform, they all looked the same anyway.

Triumphant at last in his quest for uniform parts, Jeff quickly changed and fell back on his bed again, the sound of running water from the other room threatening to make short work of knocking him out again. Just as he was about to fall asleep, a soft chuckle and fingers tickling his sides brought him back to Earth, and they also made him almost knee Nick in the face. Laughing, Nick dodged his appendage and resumed tickling him, the water from his hair spattering Jeff's blazer as he tried to squirm away.

"Nick, stop – I'm up – stoppit, I'm awake now!" Finally lodging a foot in the shorter boy's stomach, he managed to free himself from Nick's grasp, still giggling and holding his sides. Nick just laughed as he began to rifle through the same mound that Jeff had just been in.

"Fine, you win, but I still don't believe you!" The mood had shifted from groggy and grudging to surprisingly energetic in a few seconds, and they'd be lying if they said it wasn't a welcome change. The clothes pile had been sufficiently bothered, as it now lay in a much more undignified heap on the floor. In the corner of the mirror Jeff was using to tie his tie, he saw his confused and half-dressed roommate kicking the various uniform pieces under the table, peering around for his shirt, which was hanging on their doorknob. Snickering at Nick's cluelessness, he abandoned his tie, grabbing the shirt and tossing it at the other Warbler, who was searching the pit of despair that was his closet.

"Oh, and _I'm _the one who can't dress himself? C'mon, Nicky, no one wants to see that." Slipping into the bathroom, Jeff slapped Nick on the butt as he went, grinning as he dodged the punch that followed him.

"Hey, at least I can get my hair to all go in one direction!" Jeff just glared at Nick through the mirror as he tried to comb his hair down. It didn't really want to go, but habit eventually forced the golden mop to sweep in one direction. Satisfied with the result, Jeff stuffed what he assumed were his textbooks into a bag. Nick was leaning on the door, tapping out a text to who Jeff could only assume was another one of the Warblers. After digging around for a minute or two, he finally decided he hadn't left anything crucial behind. Getting up from behind his bed, Jeff was met by a pair of silently laughing brown eyes. He quirked an eyebrow at his roommate, who just grinned wider at his expression.

"What are _you_ laughing at, Nicky?"

"Oh, nothing, just that your tie seems to have died a slow and painful death about ten minutes ago, and you haven't noticed."

Looking down at his uniform, he realized that it did indeed appear that he'd forgotten how to tie a tie, despite being at Dalton for three years. Laughing softly at himself, he went to fix it, but Nick batted at his hands. "No, let me, I don't know _what_ you did to it, but it sure doesn't look normal…" Holding his hands up in surrender, Jeff felt a half-smile tug at his lips as Nick went to work on his tie. His focus reminded Jeff of a mother hen, and the thought of Nick as a barnyard bird would have made him almost fall over laughing, was his roommate not messing with the noose-like cloth around his neck.

"Dammit, Jeff, what did you do? Hm…there! You're good." Smiling proudly at his handiwork, Nick playfully pinched Jeff's cheek. "I knew there was a reason you kept me around!"

Jeff snorted, linking arms with Nick as they left their room. "Oh yeah, I only keep you because you dress me, not because you're my partner in crime, or anything."

Nick adopted a gloriously fake British accent as they sauntered down the hall, dodging some very zombie-like students. "Heavens no! Surely all that crap that happens to Wes would sure go on were we not there to mastermind it!"

Laughing boisterously and changing accents every other sentence, they continued past the rows of doors, ignoring weird looks they got from the other boys. A familiar door swung open as the pair got closer, revealing an exasperated Kurt.

"GUYS. Cut out that fake accent thing, or at least tone it down, some of us are still trying to sleep, and the walls aren't as thick as you think." Jeff and Nick wheeled around to face the small boy, fully prepared to unleash some kind of verbal arsenal on him, but stopped short when they saw two very recognizable hazel eyes disappearing behind Kurt. Looking at each other knowingly, the two turned back to Kurt, who still had a very convincing tired façade going.

"Say, Kurt I didn't know you were rooming with Blaine! When did that happen?" Nick spoke much louder than necessary, earning a few quizzical looks. Kurt's white skin turned dark red in an instant, but he quickly recovered to glare at them. Undeterred, Jeff continued where Nick had left off.

"Yeah, how did you get that by the headmaster? Being the most known couple in school you'd _think _someone would object, but it looks like you got Trent sent on his way anyway!" Kurt grabbed Jeff by the tie, fixing his dangerous green gaze on the blonde, who just grinned foolishly.

"Shut it, Sterling."

Jeff couldn't help it; he retorted with a British accent. "But of course, my dear Mr. Hummel." Freeing himself from Kurt's angry, porcelain deathgrip, Jeff linked arms with Nick again. "I do apologize if I interrupted any of your morning…_activities_," he peered curiously into the room, "please do send my regards to whomever it might be you're trying to hide behind that door." Tipping an imaginary hat, the two resumed sauntering down the hall, leaving an exasperated and embarrassed Kurt in his doorway. A few doors down, they burst into giggles, high-fiving as they slid down the banister of the dorm stairs. They were still talking animatedly when they joined the half-full cafeteria for breakfast, joining the handful of Warblers at their table in the back. Wes noticed how amped up the resident goofs were, and groaned inwardly as he realized just how long Warbler practice was going to feel today.

Much to their surprise, Nick and Jeff made it through the day without being sent to some sort of administrative office. Granted, they only had one class together, Physics, and most of the time they actually paid attention. Either way, they made it to Warbler practice safe, their permanent records no bigger than they were that morning. Nick sat on a couch with Jeff stretched across his lap, continuing the discussion they'd gotten into about particle physics during class. The rest of the Warblers always thought it was weird how the two boys known for doing stupid things, like backflips off of furniture, could have legitimate conversations about physics, of all things. Wes, David, and Thad sat at their desk, surveying the disorganized room of similarly dressed boys in front of them. Kurt and Blaine were holding hands and muttering to one another on the couch against the wall, and Trent and Flint were trying to use their ties as lassos on each other. Everyone else was either trying to make sense of Nick and Jeff, or they were joining in the antics of Flint and Trent.

Smacking his gavel on the desk, Wes tried to bring them to order, which they eventually did a few gavel smacks later. Jeff craned his head back over the armrest of the couch to look at the Asian boy upside down. Wes just rolled his eyes.

"Alright, Warblers, first, we're going to run through _Uptown Girl. _I think it's pretty much good, but we need to get some more reps in on it so we're sure we know what we're doing. Then, we can come up with a setlist for Regionals." Another authoritative smack of the gavel, and the boys were gathering to start the number, muttering about how they'd already done it too many times already. As Nick took his spot in front of the group, Jeff nudged his arm, winking with a playful grin from his spot near the back. Nick nodded, grinning back in excitement; he knew exactly what the blonde was thinking. Wes cleared his throat loudly, shooting the two a warning glare before the song began.

_Uptown girl__  
><em>_She's been living in her white bread world__  
><em>_As long as anyone with hot blood can__  
><em>_And now she's looking for a downtown man__  
><em>_That's what I am___

_And when she knows what__  
><em>_She wants from her time__  
><em>_And when she wakes up__  
><em>_And makes up her mind___

_She'll see I'm not so tough__  
><em>_Just because__  
><em>_I'm in love with an uptown girl_

The words flowed easily from Nick's mouth; they'd run the song so many times at Wes's insistence that Jeff thought they might start doing it in their sleep. As the number transitioned into the part where a few of the boys dance in the middle of a circle, Nick and Jeff locked eyes again, grinning as they sang. Nick winked at Jeff, then again at Wes, who looked scared more than anything else. As the lyrics started up again, Nick jumped out of the circle, walking backwards at Jeff, who jumped on his back. Still singing, they barreled around the room, making sure to circle around Wes. The Warblers kept singing, confused for a moment, but soon collapsed into cachinnations when Jeff snatched up Wes's gavel and brandished it like a lance.

Jeff fell off the shorter boy when he joined the rest of the group in hysterical laughter, dropping the weaponized mallet back on Wes's desk. Wes banged it on the table, which was really becoming an annoying sound after three years, trying to get through the giggles. The blonde boy and his accomplice quickly quieted down when they met Wes's stare.

"Warbler Nick! Warbler Jeff! We'd appreciate it if you all acted your age, not your shoe size!" Jeff pretended to inspect his shoe and think for a moment.

"Actually, now that you mention it, my age and shoe size are pretty close together!" Nick snorted behind the blonde. Wes just looked pissed.

"Jeff, you know what I mean. You two need to stop with the shenanigans during practice."

Jeff was ready to concede when Nick piped up behind him. "C'mon, Wes, someone's gotta keep you on your toes! I don't know about you, Sterling, but I do intend to shenan again." This time Jeff snorted, mouthing _Really? _at Nick, who just grinned like a small child and shrugged. Wes sighed, wishing that just sometimes they would work like the stereotypical private school boys; calm and polite, rather than belting out Billy Joel while using a wooden mallet like a medieval weapon. The poorly concealed snickers and grins on the other singers made him realize nothing he said would get them back focused, so he finally gave in to the clowns.

"Alright guys, go take five, just try to be saner when you come back, please?" A few of the boys rushed out of the room, clearly not wanting to see if Wes would change his mind. Thankfully, he didn't, but he did glare at Nick and Jeff in a way that would have put Kurt to shame. Jeff cringed a bit, but hid it quickly when he felt Nick's arm snake around his waist.

"Thank you, dear leader, we promise we'll do our very best to be normal little high school boys when we come back. Now, if you'll excuse us, I do think we're going to go burn off some of this _clearly _unproductive energy, right, Jefferson?" Nick puffed his chest out, which would have actually made him look bigger, were he not being a total stooge. Grinning wolfishly, Jeff put an arm around his friend, winking at Wes.

"Why yes, Nicholas, I do think we were. If you'll excuse us, sir, we must be off." Tipping an imaginary hat, they marched out of the room, cracking up again as they were out the doors, ignoring the daggers they were receiving from the Asian boy.

Pulling Jeff outside, Nick brought the blonde with him to the handful of Warblers that were roaming in and around the tree at the front of the school. It was an awesome climbing tree, and one of their favorite places to send someone when they got drunk. Sure, it resulted in more than a few broken bones, but it made for some funny Youtube videos. Thad was dangling awkwardly off a branch on one side, and David was being cheered on by Trent as he scaled the other side of the trunk. Spotting an empty branch, Jeff disentangled himself from Nick and darted up the trunk to hang upside down on it. Grinning like a six-year-old who'd just broken into the cookie jar and gotten away with it, he motioned for Nick to join him.

"Oh no, Jeff, there's no way I'm getting up there, you know how much nature _loves_ me." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Nick scuffed through the leaves to look Jeff in the eye. The branch he was on was high enough so their faces were at the same level, one was just upside down. Jeff quirked an eyebrow, his bright eyes twinkling with amusement.

"C'mon, Nicky, just try it! I think you're the only one who hasn't ended up in this tree on a drunken dare yet, so you might as well get used to it?" Nick shook his head again, and Jeff pouted at him. "Fine, just wait until the next party! I'll spike your drink or something and make sure you get up here!" Laughing, Nick swatted at Jeff's hair, which was dangling towards the ground.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Jeff's puppy dog face was replaced by an evil smirk and a wink.

"Hell yeah I am, but you know you love me anyway."

Shaking his head at the blonde, Nick reached up and pulled the other boy down a little farther, laughing at his startled yelp. "Of course I do, Jefferson." He quickly kissed the other boy's forehead, ignoring the whistle that came from up in the tree. Sure, they kissed each other like that before, but they both thought of it as merely platonic. Blushing, Jeff dropped out of the wooden monstrosity, landing behind Nick. Jumping on the other boy's back once more, he clasped his arms over his chest, securing himself before pointing at the school building with a foot.

"Oh, would you look at that, Nicholas, it seems our fearless and noble leader is summoning us back inside! Shall we?" Meeting Jeff's mischievous gaze with his own, Nick grinned widely.

"Why, that sounds superb! _Uptown Girl _again? Or perhaps something else?"

Jeff thought for a moment. "No, _Uptown Girl _is fine."

With that decision made, they set off towards the building with the other Warblers in close pursuit, the whole mob belting out the lyrics and harmonies to the song along with them. Wes, after a moment of trying to calm them down, just gave up and joined in, falling into place in the mob that had gathered behind the pair as they ran around the school. Compared to the other impromptu performances, this one was by far the most unplanned, and the most entertaining. They finally finished their circuit around the school twenty minutes later, collapsing on the couches in the practice room. The small group of students and teachers that had formed behind them applauded for a moment, before going back to whatever it was they were doing before the mob of identically dressed boys had disrupted them

"Well, Nicky, it seems like we at least got Wes in a good mood! Told him we were good for him." Jeff didn't look the least bit tired, after all, he just had to be carried around.

"Yeah, maybe he'll _think before getting on us for our antics again!_" His words were directed at Wes, who rolled his eyes, but he was definitely in a much better mood. Jeff laughed, shifting so he was sitting on Nick's lap, who just put his hands on the blonde's stomach, too tired to push him off.

"Damn, Jeff, you're not as light as you look, you know that?" Carrying his friend around campus had made Nick realize one thing; skinny people are just densely packed.

Jeff laughed, ruffling his friend's hair. "Oh, I know, I'm surprised you didn't drop me at some point! But even if I am hard to carry around, you know you still love me anyway."

Rolling his eyes, Nick poked the blonde in the side, making him jump a little. "You know, using that more than once a day kind of negates what you're going for." Jeff stuck his bottom lip out a little, but his eyes betrayed the laughter he was holding in. "_Fine, _I love you anyway. Happy?"

The puppy dog face was replaced by a childish grin. "Love you too, Nicky!" The blonde darted up to press his lips to his friend's cheek, but Nick turned just a little too fast. The room broke out into whistles and cheers as their lips met. Blushing furiously, Jeff brushed his hair out of his face. "Hey! You know I didn't mean to do that!"

Kurt shouted over the cheering Warblers. "Oh please, if you expect us to think that was just an accident, then you're even more oblivious than this guy!" He kicked at Blaine, who just crossed his eyes.

"Think of it as karma, Jeff, if you don't want us to catch you two kissing, then don't start piggyback rides during practice!" Wes looked like he was about to pass out from laughing so much. Indignant, Jeff's jaw dropped a little as Wes spoke.

"Wes, come on, you know we don't do that."

"Yeah, right, so what was all that?" Trent gestured vaguely to the now somewhat awkward space between the two boys, to which they just turned an even deeper shade of red. The room filled with their cackling for a few more minutes before Wes finally gathered himself enough to talk again.

"Alright, guys, alright, practice is over, we're not getting anything done today. Just go…do what you gotta do." He winked at Nick, who just glared back. The Warblers filed out of the room, leaving Nick and Jeff on the couch, still staring at their hands awkwardly. As the door shut behind the last singer, Jeff broke the awkward silence.

"I'm so sorry, really, I didn't mean to do that…" He brushed his hair out of his face again; a nervous habit, still fixated on his hands.

"No, it's fine, um, this doesn't…change anything, does it?" Nick studied the blonde's face, but he was hiding too far behind his hair for Nick to see anything. Jeff coughed, and then slowly made himself meet his friend's gaze.

"Oh yeah, I mean, no, it doesn't, I mean, it was just an accident, so nothing's different. We can just pretend it didn't happen, if you want?" His words ran together near the end of the sentence.

Nick took one of the blonde's hands in his own, resting it on Jeff's middle, softly squeezing it. "Yeah, it didn't mean anything, so it doesn't have to have happened, right?" Nick felt a twinge of something akin to disappointment in his stomach, but he couldn't figure out why. He ignored it when Jeff nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the couch and pulling Nick up with him.

"Yeah, of course, anyway, we're best friends, it's cool." Jeff slung his bag over his shoulder, half-smiling at Nick, trying to just forget about his mistake. They walked back to their dorm in a somewhat comfortable silence, their steps unconsciously bringing them a little closer together. Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground, still a little confused.

_That kiss was an accident, so why am I disappointed that he wants to brush it off as that? I mean, Jeff's my best friend, and he's straight anyway, from what I can tell, so why do I feel like this? C'mon, brain, just work with me for a second…._

_**Oh my word, that turned out SO much longer then I meant it to. **_

_**Anyway, here's my author's note!  
>So, after putting around in the realm that is fandom, I decided that it was high time I started shipping Niff, 'cause they're just cute like that :) welcome to my maiden voyage! I hope you enjoyed, and if you feel so inclined, drop a review! The button's just so close ;) even if you don't review, I sure hope you liked it, because that's all I really want is for you lovely people to like it :)<strong>_

_***OH, and I can't decide what color the boys' eyes are….despite some hefty creeping on google…so if those of you who know better than I could enlighten me, it'd be MUCH appreciated :)**_

_**EDIT: I went back and changed some stuff, not too critical, but if you came back to read again for some reason, wouldn't want you to be confused :D**_

_**LASTTHINGFROMMEIPROMISE: I **_**always **_**take prompts, so drop one by and I'll crank out a chapter just for you, because I love you that much :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

The weekend had passed pretty much without incident, only the occasional raising of an eyebrow or cheeky wink when one of the Warblers saw Nick and Jeff together. The pair laughed it off for the most part, adamant that it was an accident, and really didn't mean anything. Still, that tiny feeling of I-don't-even-know-what lingered in the back of Nick's mind, which made for some unnecessarily awkward moments. Nick usually wasn't an awkward person around his partner in crime, so it stood out even more when he got flustered, like when Jeff walked into him straight of the shower one morning. He'd instinctively grabbed the blonde's sides to keep them from ending up on the floor, but the feeling of Jeff's muscles flexing under his fingers combined with the early morning fog that impeded his brain, resulting in a mumbling, bright red Nick. Jeff chalked it up to one of the many things they'd been brushing under the carpet these days.

The council had suddenly decided to revamp the dances for almost all of the numbers, requiring the group of boys to spend their Monday afternoon in the shack that used to be the Dalton gym. Wes had convinced the headmaster to keep it standing so the Warblers would have an onsite venue to learn dances. They'd do it in their normal practice room, but the furniture made it hard to dance as a group. So the rundown little building had been kept standing, even in its pathetic conditions. The air conditioning was broken, and Jeff swore he saw a hawk living in the rafters at one point….no matter what was living there, it really was a pitiful excuse for a building. But, it was stable (usually) and had enough room to fit a group three times the size of the Warblers.

Needless to say, no one really wanted to be spending their homework time learning dance moves in the sweltering area. It didn't take long for their body heat to warm the place up like a sauna, and the number of shirtless guys increased steadily with the temperature. Jeff had even caught Flint checking Nick out at one point, to which Jeff responded with a raised eyebrow and mouthing _really?_ at the other boy. Flint just turned redder than a tomato. Wiping the sweat off his face for what felt like the millionth time that day, Jeff just shook his head, letting his mind wander as his body went through the moves.

_Hey, can't say I blame him, Nick's got a pretty good gun show going on over there….oh, stop it, he's your best friend, you don't get to think about how ripped he may or may not be….well, there goes that. I guess not much falls under the category of "awkward" anymore, seeing as how I freaking _kissed_ him in front of the guys…oh well. They can think want they want, we're just friends. Inseparable, joined at the hip, partners in crime, you know, all that good stuff. _

"….Jeff? Hello? Earth to Six?" Blinking out of his thoughts, Jeff found himself sitting on the ground against the wall, apparently being talked at by Nick.

_Hm, not like Wes to give us a break…when did I even walk over here, anyway?_

"Yeah, sorry, I zoned out, what?"

_HEY. None of that. Keep your eyes on his _face,_ stupid. _

Nick grinned, the corners of his bright brown eyes crinkling slightly. "Yeah, I saw that. I was just asking if maybe you wanted to hang out tonight? I mean, we haven't had one of our famous floor-disrupting musical nights in a while…" It was Jeff's turn to grin, thinking about how many times their _very _irritated floormates had burst into their room at 2am as they belted out _I'm Alive _from _Next to Normal, _complete with reprise_._ Continuously undeterred, their movie nights had quickly become infamous among those in close proximity to their room.

"Yeah, man, that sounds awesome! I'll go loot the kitchen for food whenever we're done here. _If _we're ever done here, that is." He grimaced as Wes stood back up, motioning for the rest of the group to join him. They were already sweaty and tired, you'd think he'd have realized that nothing ever gets done when you have a sizeable group of strongly willed performers going against you…but of course, Wes didn't give a flip.

So after they'd been released, Jeff had looted the kitchen as promised, returning triumphant with a box of chocolate cupcakes, redvines, some mysterious kind of potato chips, and a two-liter of Coke. His spoils had been deposited gracelessly on his bed as the blonde ducked into the shower, still sticky from their quasi-boot camp afternoon. Nick was asleep on the floor, face in a textbook, when Jeff had come in, but the sound of his roommate dropping something in the shower woke him up with a jolt. Realizing where he was after a moment, he stared at the bathroom door, like it was capable of talking back.

"Dammit, Jeff, way to wake me up with a heart attack, thanks!" His voice overflowed with sarcastic irritation. A laugh snuck out under the steamed up door, followed by the squeaks of water valves being turned off and a dripping wet blonde boy poking his head out the door.

"Oh, come on, at least you're up now! There's a trick to everything, Nicky, that's just how I like to wake up people who fall asleep on their French homework." He slipped back inside with a wink, leaving Nick to scoop the papers back into his bag. They almost never did homework on movie days, claiming it took up too much time and energy. So, they chose to ignore it completely.

"I prefer to call it learning by osmosis, _débile._" Jeff sauntered into the room again, towel wrapped around his waist as he tried to look offended.

"Wait, _what_ was that?" Laughing, Nick fell back on his bed, raising an eyebrow at his blonde friend.

"Oh, nothing, just that you _devez faire attention__en classe__au lieu de dormir_." His grin spread up to his eyes as Jeff tried to figure out what on earth the other boy was saying. Eventually, the blonde gave up, rolling his eyes as he rummaged through a random pile of what he hoped was his clothes. A few moments later, he crashed on the bed next to Nick, his face slightly obscured by the hood of his Dalton soccer sweatshirt.

"Oh, Nick, as much as I _adore _hearing you totally show me up in a foreign language, isn't it high time we started interrupting other people's lives?" A mischievous twinkle crept into his dark green eyes. Nick's face was pretty similar; they both loved pissing off an entire floor. They considered it a sort of accomplishment, really.

"But of course, my dear Six, I've been looking forward to this all day! I put in _The Sound of Music; _I think Kurt's been a little more snappy these days, don't you think a wee bit of poking fun at his name would loosen him up?" Jeff breathed a laugh at his numerical nickname; "Three" and "Six" were the only words that Nick and Jeff, respectively, had said to Kurt at his first audition. For some reason, the small boy thought it was funny and took to calling them that, and of course, the rest of the Warblers got on board as well. Reaching over the side of the bed, he tossed the packet of Redvines over his shoulder, laughing at the surprised snort from his roommate as they hit him in the face. Snatching a cupcake, the blonde curled up into Nick's side as he always did, biting back a silly grin when he felt the other boy's arm wrap protectively around his waist. Flipping back his hood, Jeff fixed his gaze on his roommate again, feigning seriousness.

"Let's do this."

The pair broke into giggles at the same time, which really only served to make them laugh harder. An irritated _thump _on the wall from next door shut them up, finally pressing _play_ on the title screen that had been waiting impatiently as they cackled.

As he settled into Nick's familiar warmth, Jeff soon discovered that he actually _was_ tired from the practice he hadn't paid attention to. Licking the remnants of his cupcake off the corner of his lips, the blonde put an arm across his roommates' stomach and nuzzled into his chest, sighing contentedly. If he was a little less sleepy, Jeff would have felt the momentary tension in Nick's frame as he shifted. Instead, he felt the low rumblings of the other boy's breathy laugh and the vibrations from his voice against his ear.

"A little sleepy there, are we?" His voice was quiet, but his amusement was still obvious. Jeff turned to meet his brown gaze, armed with a sassy remark, but forgot it when he realized just how close their faces were.

_Woah, I never really realized how big and brown his eyes are…I guess cause they kinda shrink up when he laughs or smiles…god, his face is so close, I just want to….I just want to remember what I was gonna say, that's it…_

Quickly catching himself, he hid his moment of disorganization, hoping the boy he was wrapped up against didn't see it. "Hmm, not really, I mean, six hours of class plus three more of dance boot camp always gets me energetic." The way his words slurred together in a tired mumble didn't help his attempt at staying awake. A small half-smile tugged at a corner of Nick's lips.

"Oh I know, I feel like I could go and bike across all of Siberia right now if I really wanted to." Jeff rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling a bit at his sarcasm. Nick just shrugged in response, so the blonde turned his dwindling attention back to the screen. The soft, steady rhythm of Nick's heartbeat quickly entranced him near to sleep. Before his tired brain let him pass out, however, one thought pushed to the front of his mind. Pressing his nose into the other boy's hard chest, he mumbled incoherently into his gray t-shirt, the movie all but forgotten.

Nick stifled a laugh, hoping the movement of his torso wouldn't disrupt the blonde. Subconsciously, he brushed Jeff's hair out of his closed eyes, resting his hand on Jeff's cheek as he softly spoke into his ear.

"Jeff, I'm sure you just said something super interesting, but I do regret to inform you that my ears aren't in my sternum." The sleepy boy grinned, raising his head up in a way that suggested it took much more effort than it actually did.

"I said, I love you, Nick. And I love sleeping on you. You're really comfy, kinda like a really big teddy bear…except you don't squish when I squeeze you…" He trailed off, tightening his grip around Nick's middle, relishing the warmth that seemed to spread all around him.

_Yeah, I could get used to this….._

_Wait, what?_

Nick smiled down at the boy whose pillow he'd become. Not that he minded, they pretty much always fell asleep like this during a movie night. His slurred speech was as endearing as always, and it never failed to make Nick think about how the blonde would be when he was drunk….not drunk like he got at Warbler parties, but really _wasted._ For some reason, that thought was always amusing to him. Pushing it aside, he linked his hands together around the other boy's waist, totally enveloping him as Jeff tried to pull himself closer. Nick whispered his response, half expecting him to already be unconscious.

"I love you too, Jeff…." Without even thinking about it, he pressed a soft kiss into his light blonde hair. A corner of Jeff's mouth slid up into a smile as his breathing evened out, signaling that he really was asleep. Nick's own sleep-muddled mind finally processed what had just happened.

_I love you, Nick._

_I love you, Jeff._

…_..what?_

_**I love fluff, just in case you couldn't tell :) **_

_**Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who favorite this, or put it on your story alert thing! I was so happy to wake up to those emails from this site :D **_

_**Also, special thanks to WiseGirl-AC and NifftellaxElla for reviewing! I've read their stuff, and it's pretty rockin' so if you need somewhere to go after this, go there! **_

_**Reviews make me smile, cause then I know if you enjoyed or not, which is really all I'm going for :)**_

_**Love you all, and to all a good night :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

Another week had passed, making it now two weeks since Nick and Jeff had accidentally kissed in Warbler practice, and the suggestive looks had finally started to die down. Of course, some of the boys that were closer to the pair still gave them grief about it, namely Trent and Kurt, but it didn't bother them. They knew the two dark haired boys were just being silly.

Friday Warbler practice was really being a drag, as it always was, because really, who didn't have somewhere they'd rather be on a Friday afternoon? Per usual, Nick and his blonde accomplice were stirring the pot that was Wes's temper. The Asian boy was really hoping the _Uptown Girl _incident would have deterred them from their goofy and disruptive ways for at least a little longer, but of course there was no such luck. The council had turned to each other in discussion about who they wanted to sing lead in _You Give Love a Bad Name. _Sure, Bon Jovi was a little weird for the Warblers to be doing, but they were just about out of top 40 songs. As the three at the desk mumbled importantly among themselves, the rest of the room did likewise. Turning to make an offhand comment to his friend, Jeff shut his mouth when he realized Nick was asleep. Frowning slightly, he raised an eyebrow at the sleeping boy, mischievous ideas creeping into his mind.

_Man, he really can sleep anywhere, in a textbook, on the floor, and now during practice? How does that even work? Maybe he's built up an immunity to the gavel or something….I need to figure out how to do that. _

He experimentally shoved Nick's shoulder, smirking when he didn't even stir. Shifting on the couch, Jeff moved to get a better angle on the brunette's body, trying to push him onto the floor. Trent snickered from Nick's other side when his efforts were unsuccessful. Frowning, he tried again, yelping when he found himself pinned sideways to the furniture under a very amused Nick. Deeming his efforts at escape useless, Jeff stuck his neck over the other boy's shoulder, fixing him with his best impression of Kurt's bitch face. Unfortunately, those expressions were a little less intimidating when you're very stuck under your best friend's back. Nick's face was the picture of innocence, like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Trent hid his mouth in his hand, trying not to laugh and interrupt the spectacle on the other side of the couch.

"Is there anything I can help you with, good sir?" Jeff rolled his eyes, wriggling slightly to free a hand and brush his hair out of his face.

"Oh, no, nothing at all, sir_,_ it's just that maybe I would like to spend rehearsal somewhere other than _under _you? D'you think that could happen, maybe?" Nick pretended to think for a second before shaking his head, grinning when the blonde pretended to spit out the hair that had tickled his face. "Yeah, as much as I _adore_ the taste of your hair, I can't say I want to eat it for dinner. Thanks, though." His voice dripped with amused sarcasm.

"Anytime, _mon ami. _But, you may want to get comfy, because this is what you get for trying to push me into a table while I was sleeping. You may be a good dancer, but you can't really push stuff around." Nick was all too cheery about the whole thing, a problem Jeff was only too happy to fix. Shuffling around again to free his other hand, the blonde grinned evilly at his captor.

"Wait a second, I don't like that face, that's never a good face fo-AH, DAMMIT JEFF!" Nick's wary ramblings were quickly brought to an end as Jeff tickled him, which really only accomplished getting the blonde even further stuffed into the furniture. Stopping his attack, he tried to push Nick off him again, still unsuccessful.

"Ow, Nick, I still need my kidneys, thank you very much! C'mon, just let me up, I think internal damage is fair payment for a bad try at knocking you off a couch." When Nick pretended to think about letting him up, Jeff jabbed him in the side again, this time shooing him in the right direction. Peeling himself out of the leather furniture, he smirked triumphantly at Nick as Trent let out a snort.

"Sorry, sorry, you two just act like such a _couple_ it's hilarious that you aren't actually together!" Some of the other Warblers, who'd also been watching them, giggled along with him. Silent messages flicked between the pair, and their incredulous faces were replaced by identical expressions of innocence.

"Why Trent, what would _ever_ make you think we were a couple?" Jeff's long fingers casually twined with Nick's on the couch, both boys totally ignoring it and loving the fact that Trent didn't realize he was being messed with. "I certainly couldn't think of anything, could you, Nicky?"

Nick shrugged, taking his hand back and nonchalantly putting it around the blonde's waist. "Nope, nothing comes to mind." Trent just laughed and gestured vaguely at how they were touching.

"But, I mean, come _on,_ nothing? You expect me to believe that _nothing's _going on with you two? Please, _you two _give love a bad name if you aren't together already." Wes's bored voice interjected, which was probably good; both Nick and Jeff were trying really hard not to laugh at their friend's inability to see a joke.

"Trent, they're messing with you. Like they do _every week, _isn't that right?" Jeff tried to disguise a laugh as a sneeze.

"Don't act like you don't like it, Wes, we keep you young, remember?" Wes just narrowed his eyes, telling them to shut it for what must've been the 17th time that day. "Alright, alright, we'll back off….if it'll get it out of here sooner." Jeff muttered the last part under his breath, forcing Nick to pass off his laugh as a cough. He raised his free hand in surrender, which seemed to please the council well enough. Jeff shuffled out of Nick's embrace, watching the council as they seemed to interrogate him with a look. Nick stared at his hands, desperately trying to shove away that mysterious feeling he always got when the blonde would separate himself from him.

_Shut up, brain, I don't need this right now. I don't care how well he fits up against me, this is not the time for resounding internal conflict. _

"If no one else has anything to say, we'll get back to business. The Bon Jovi lead will go to Warbler Jeff, despite his disruptive practices. I think that's the last thing on the list, so you all may now feel free to vamoose." David grabbed the gavel before it hit the table, earning a few groans from those who'd already made to leave.

"Hey, calm down, y'all are actually gonna want to hear this one. Warbler party with the Crawford ladies Saturday night, you boys in?" Expressions of boredom perked up at the word "party," nodding their approval vehemently. "Alright, tomorrow night, at that shack we call a gym, and don't try to scare the lovely ladies away this time, Kurt, not all of us are gay." Kurt smirked, but nodded. Last time the Crawford show choir had joined them for a party, they didn't seem to accept the fact that Kurt _really _was gay, so he may have exploded a little bit. "That's it! Scurry on, then." The resounding crack of the gavel released the tired boys. Jeff jumped up, his dark green eyes flashing with excitement.

"Ooh, finally, another chance for me to get you drunk and in that tree! I'd been wondering when the next party would be, I've been coming up with all kinds of ways to get Nicky to commune with nature a little bit. Don't give me that "nature hates me" crap, enough alcohol can fix any relationship, even your sucky one with Mother Nature." The blonde pulled his reluctant friend off the couch, absentmindedly keeping their fingers loosely laced together as they headed back to their room. Nick laughed, peering out one of the many windows at the monstrosity that dared to call itself a tree.

"No, Jeff you are definitely _not _gonna get me up there. Seriously, I'd like, light the school on fire or something."

Jeff's argument was cut off by Trent crashing into the two from behind, slinging his arms over their shoulders. They jumped, and then just stared quizzically at the boy's excited face.

"HA, I knew it! You two _are _a thing! I totally called that like three weeks ago, FYI." Trent was loveable, but his over-the-top-ness didn't always jive.

"What the heck, Trent, we're not together. We _really were _just messing with you earlier, I promise."

Trent was undeterred, circling around so he was in front of the two, stopping them in their tracks. Crossing his arms over his chest, he just raised an eyebrow at their hands, which were still lazily linked together.

"Then what is _that,_ then?"

The pair sprung apart like their hands had been lit on fire, awkwardly staring at their feet and flushing dark red. Trent just looked at them knowingly, somewhat shocked when Nick actually wasn't too embarrassed to speak, his tone sending a clear _come on, you know better _message.

"Trent, you know we do stuff like that all the time, don't blow it into something it's not."

Judging by Jeff's awkward shuffling and staring at the ground, Nick could tell he really did _not _want to be there having that conversation. Trent didn't seem like he was going anywhere without a satisfactory explanation, so he improvised.

"Look, if you want a story, go ask Blaine, I think he has an imagination. Seriously, man, don't go making stuff up in your head, that's like, never worked out for anyone." Flashing an all-too-cheery smile at Trent, Nick took the blonde's hand again and tugged him off towards their dorm hall. Seeing Trent mosey off in the direction of the dining hall, they both relaxed a little bit. The walk back to the room was quiet, but not awkward. Walking hand in hand around campus was something they did with surprising frequency, and the other boys were used to it by now, not that anyone was milling around school at five on a Friday afternoon.

Dropping their soon-to-be-neglected homework on a bed, Jeff immediately ditched his blazer and tie in the pile of uniform pieces, which only seemed to grow these days. Nick stared contemplatively into hyperspace.

_So…if there's legitimately nothing going on here, then why did we both freak out when Trent suggested there was? Wow, I really kinda wish that kiss hadn't happened in front of the guys. Not in front of an audience, that's fine….wait a second, where did that come from? God, brain, just make sense for a second, please? Moving on….I better apologize for Trent…Jeff probably knows he was just being himself…whatever. _

"….Nick? What'cha thinking about?" Blinking back to reality, Nick found two curious green eyes peering at him.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about how off Trent is, thinking we were a couple, you know?" Awkwardly, he stared at his shoes while fiddling with a button on his blazer, missing the momentary disappointment that flashed across Jeff's eyes. Quickly stuffing that feeling back where it came from, Jeff grasped his friend's shoulders, making him look up at him. He hesitated for a second, seeing a weirdly familiar expression in the other boy's deep brown eyes, but shook it off when it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Yeah, it's okay though, it was just Trent being himself."

_See, he _does _get it._

"So….are we still good?"

The glowingly real smile Jeff saw was response enough to know that Trent hadn't driven an awkward stake between them. Nick's arms wrapped around his waist, and Jeff felt the familiar warmth of his best friend envelop him as they hugged, both boys seeming to lose track of time. Sometime later, Nick set his hands on the blonde's hips, gently pushing him back enough to leave a single, soft kiss on his cheek. Sighing happily at the feeling of just _being _this close to another person, Jeff rubbed his nose against the other boy's cheek before extracting himself from the embrace.

_God, Nick….._

…_.no, we're just platonic. Shut up, teenage brain, I don't need your input._

Brushing a nonexistent hair out of his face, Nick smiled again at the blonde before slipping away, muttering something about homework before the party tomorrow. Humming affirmatively, Jeff fished his iPod out of a drawer, replacing it with his white uniform shirt. Throwing on Nick's fight club sweatshirt, he flopped down on one of the beds, Maroon 5's _Misery _playing from his headphones, thinking about how ironic it was to have a fight club sweatshirt. Of course, the only words printed on it were "FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB: Don't talk about fight club," but still, it seemed kind of silly to advertise something illegal.

_Whatever. I just know I'm never getting one of these….who knew Blaine packed such a punch? I swear, though, Nick's gonna hurt himself down there…or someone else, more likely. As Flint was so nice to point out on Monday, he does have some firepower on his side…OKAY, that's enough, Jeff, just think about cheese or something random….hey, if you thought of cheese while someone was taking pictures of your brain, would it be smiling? _

Nick falling on the bed next to him startled the blonde out of his thoughts. Looking him up and down, he raised an eyebrow as he realized what Jeff was wearing.

"Did you seriously join fight club and not tell me, or is that mine?"

Jeff flipped onto his stomach, showing the "DUVAL" printed across the back. Nick laughed, picking up the other headphone dangling from Jeff's head. "Good, you wouldn't last a second down there, as we've already seen." He winked playfully at the blonde's indignant expression, which soon faded to resignation.

"Yeah, I know, I think I'm just gonna stay with the dancing thing, it's less _painful._"

Nick breathed a laugh, digging an obscenely thick Trig packet out of his French textbook, quickly absorbed by the equations that really made no sense to anyone else.

Not ten minutes later, Jeff was asleep, face buried in his arms.

Finally being able to sleep in on Saturday was awesome, but it made the party seem to come even quicker, much to Nick's dismay. He loved parties with the Warblers and the Crawford girls, but was a little apprehensive about Jeff's promise to get him in on the drunken dare record. Resigning himself to whatever the night would hold, he flipped up the volume on their iPod speakers, the sounds of the _Wicked_ soundtrack filling the room as he fished around for clothes that weren't part of the uniform.

The music floated in to the shower, where Jeff started excitedly singing along to _Dancing Through Life._ The blonde was almost overly hyped for that night; he was determined to either get Wes to do something stupid, or get Nick to embarrass himself in the tree like everyone else had. Still humming with Christopher Fitzgerald, he stepped out of the shower, grinning at how the steam and foggy mirror made his reflection super weird. Pulling on a white v-neck and dark blue jeans, he shook water out of his hair like a puppy, laughing to himself when he saw how it stuck out in random directions. Leaving it, he waltzed out of the bathroom, joining in on _A Sentimental Man. _Jeff's voice faltered for a second when he caught sight of Nick, who was fiddling with the undone buttons of a black vest. The dark red shirt underneath it clung to his torso like the blazer never could, and it took Jeff a second to find his words.

"Hm, looks like _someone's _out to get some Crawford ladies, huh?" Jeff wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Nick, who grinned back.

"Oh, right, 'cause they'll definitely be _all_ over me with the rest of you little vultures there." He peered in the little mirror on the wall, finger-combing his hair to one side. Jeff slid up behind him, clasping his hands across Nick's surprisingly firm middle.

"Oh, don't worry, I think Nicky's gonna have some fun at this party, don't worry." He winked at the brunette in the mirror, who stopped fixing his hair and spun to face Jeff, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I swear, Sterling, I am _not _ending up in that tree tonight. If I have to stay away from anything alcoholic for the next twelve hours, I will do just that, because there's no way you're gonna get me on Youtube doing something stupid with that monstrosity." Jeff pretended to look intimidated, shrinking back slightly, but keeping his arms where they were.

"Fine, if I promise not to tape anything you may or may not do tonight, will you at least try to have fun? For your favorite blonde?" He pouted slightly, knowing his puppy dog face was all it really took to win Nick over. This time was no different; Nick's threatening eyes were replaced by smiling ones.

"Alright, I will, but just because it's you! Don't think this gives you a loophole to just pass off the camera to someone else, cause that's not what I meant." Jeff frowned at his opportunity being taken away.

"_Fine, _I promise no one will be taping you tonight. Happy?" Nick reached up and kissed the blonde's forehead.

"Yes. Now go fix your hair…I don't think you'll be picking up any girls if you look like you just stuck your finger in an electric socket." Jeff just rolled his eyes at his friend's grimace at the state of his hair. Releasing the brunette, he set off to find a shirt in one of their horribly disorganized drawers, settling on a light blue plaid button-down. Returning to the bathroom, he set to the arduous process of smoothing his wet, spiky hair down, mind drifting to what loopholes he could slip by a soon-to-be very drunk Nick.

Even from a distance, the two could hear loud bass beats pulsing out of the practice shack, which was conveniently near the empty classroom halls, away from where anyone annoyable would be. Slipping in through the cracked back door, it took a second for them to see anything through the white lights flashing in time with the music. Once his eyes adjusted, Nick saw Blaine and Kurt making their way through the sporadically placed people. Surprisingly enough, Blaine already looked slightly impaired; an illusion that was only made worse by the red plastic cup in his hand and the way he shamelessly looked the two up and down, raising an eyebrow approvingly.

"Nick, Jeff! We were wondering when you two would show up! We've been telling the ladies all about you, so it looks like you already have a little fan club going." Kurt's dainty eyebrows wiggled suggestively, nodding at a group of three or four girls across the gym. Nick sheepishly waved to them, noticing how they already had that predatory look that teenage girls get when combined with alcohol and talented, attractive guys. They giggled and turned to each other, murmuring excitedly. Jeff was too busy staring at the ceiling, trying to see if whatever lived up there had decided to hang out for the party. Apparently not.

"Um, thanks, I guess? We're gonna go start drinking, and see what happens from there….if this guy can bear to stop looking at his precious roof ghosts for a second." Jerked back to earth, the blonde replied adamantly.

"I swear they're not ghosts! Something _does _live up there, I've seen it before!"

"Mhm, sure, maybe I'll see it once we've been drinking for a few hours." Nick still wasn't convinced there was any kind of life that would willinglytake up residence in the dilapidated shack, but if past experiences were anything to go by, enough liquor sure would make him see it. "C'mon, let's get started on that." He tugged a still indignant Jeff towards the drink table, using his promises of life in the ceiling as an excuse not to meet the eyes of any of the girls whose gaze had locked on them.

An abnormally thin girl in black skinny jeans and a tight, dark blue t-shirt stood at the table, peering at them over the top of a plastic cup. Meeting her thickly lined, ice-blue eyes, Jeff flashed a smile, filling a cup with some mysterious mixture of whatever Wes could successfully bogart from the nearest gas station. No one really knew how strong any of the drinks were, and the variations always made for an interesting night. Nick purposefully kept his gaze on the table as the girl strode over to Jeff, trying to keep himself under the radar. Hearing more giggles from the same flock of girls, he looked up at them, laughing internally when his half-smile made one of them almost blow her drink out her nose.

_Hey, Thad was right, faking awkwardness at the beginning _does _knock them over…_

Taking a swig of the night's drink, he made his way over to them, the sharp bite of alcohol overriding any apprehension that had been lingering in the back of his mind.

Two hours and _many_ liters of alcohol later, Jeff sat against a wall of the gym, talking to the girl from the drink table. Her name was Sadie, he was pretty sure of that. They'd been talking about a plethora of different things, the most recent of which being how her choir had a fit when she decided to dye the ends of her long black hair bright blue. Shuffling closer to the blonde, she held the colored hair up against his shirt, long fingers trailing on his chest.

"Hey look, it's almost th'same color as you…your shirt, I mean…" Her words slurred together slightly, which was becoming exponentially more prominent as time passed.

"Oh yeah, lookit that, that's pretty nifty…" Sadie nodded, dropping her hair, but leaving her fingers on his chest, curling them slowly as if to undo one of the buttons. Even in his drunken stupor, Jeff shuffled uncomfortably.

_Wait, what? Usually I'm like celebrating if one of the girls will just talk to me, so why do I want her to not do that?_

Peering around the room, his gaze locked on Nick, who was sitting on one of the old couches, the four girls from earlier still clinging to him like a flock of geese. Seeing his escape, Jeff jumped on it.

"Hey…I'm gonna go…talk, that's what it is, to that guy…I'll get back to ya later?" Her disappointment was obvious, but missed by the blonde, who was already on his feet and trying to make a straight line over to the couch. Nick saw him on his way, and motioned for Jeff to come sit next to him. Flopping ungracefully on the seat, Jeff looked around the circle of girls whose foggy eyes were now scouring him appreciatively. Nick slung an arm around his shoulders, kissing the blonde's cheek in greeting.

"No we're not together, that's jusss what we do, right, Six?" Jeff nodded, grinning wolfishly at the girls, who either had an expression of confusion or blankness. "Oh right, Jeff, this is Natalie," a short-haired Indian girl, "Tessa," a short, falsely tanned girl with obscenely long brown hair, "Jamie," a long-legged Asian, "and….Micaela." The last girl, a blonde cheerleader-type, snorted and rolled her eyes at Nick's trouble with her name. Jeff opened his mouth to say something, but the music ending and Wes's unforgettable drunken yell of "TRUTH OR DARE, Y'ALL!" forced him to close his mouth. Some of the girls looked disappointed, clearly put out at the lack of time they got to spend with the blonde Warbler.

A small circle of Warblers remained on the floor of the gym another hour later; most of the Crawford girls had split around their curfew. Jeff didn't think they'd make it back anyway, they were too wasted to make any trip in a normal amount of time. So, that left the Warbler guys sprawled in a circle, still going at Truth or Dare. Up until the girls left, the dares had mostly been weird things like running outside screaming obscenities, stuff of that sort, but now that the drinks were settling in and the pressure of having girls around was lifted, the challenges turned a lot more characteristic. Kurt and Blaine had been dared to go to one of the bathrooms and switch shirts, but that had been twenty minutes ago and they hadn't come back yet. No one really noticed, and the few that did didn't care. Nick was mostly tuning it out, as no one had targeted him yet, but Trent's inebriated voice made him pay attention.

"Nick, hey! NIIIIIICK! I…gotsa dare for you…" The evil glint in the other boy's eyes made the brunette a little nervous, but the copious amounts of alcohol in his system forced him to just go with it.

"Alright, whaissit?"

"I want you…..to go climb the big tree! You know, the reeeeeeeeealy huge one?"

"I gotchu…but no, I'm not gonna climb the big tree, that like…never goes well for anyone…..what else d'ya got?"

Trent thought for a second, before a realization hit him and an even eviler expression slid onto his face. Nick groaned internally.

_This can't be good._

"I want you….to make out with Jeff!"

_Knew it._

Anyone who wasn't paying attention now was, intently so, as Nick looked around for his blonde friend, who was emptying the dregs of their mystery beverage into his cup. Turning back to Trent, Nick shook his head.

"Hell no, man, you know I won'do that."

"Well iss'either you make out with that guy, or you go get your fine ass into that tree, so wha'ss it gonna be, white boy?"

Jeff was standing over them, curiously looking down at the group. "Wha's Nicky have to do or else he gets in the tree? He knows I want him to get in the tree."

Nick stood up, facing the blonde with his body but keeping his eyes trained on Trent. "I really hate you right now, you know that?" Trent winked, laughing into his hands. To Jeff, he explained "He wants us to make out, or I have to go in the tree." Jeff grinned stupidly, setting his cup on the ground.

"Well, Nicky, I said I wouldn't make you go in the tree if you don'want to…at least I think that's what I said…so wha's it matter if we jus'kiss a little?"

Ignoring Trent's excited, fangirl-ish snorts, Nick raised an eyebrow at Jeff, the tiny part of his brain that was still sober reminding him it wouldn't be good to just jump your best friend. "You're sure, blondie?"

Jeff giggled at the name. "Hehe, blondie, I like that one….bu'yeah, I don'care, and c'mon, Nicky, you know you want some of this!" Still grinning drunkedly, Jeff put his arms around Nick's neck, bringing them closer so their chests almost were touching. Before he knew what he was doing, Nick found himself attaching their lips together with a soft growl, lacing one hand into his friend's hair and resting the other on his hip. Totally tuning out the whistles and applause from the equally impaired boys on the ground, Nick's breath caught as he felt Jeff's lips move against his, parting slightly. The sober part of his brain was quickly overridden as that nameless feeling he'd been pushing away all week flared up rampant, taking over his brain and his actions.

_Oh god, someone definitely has a video recording right now….oh well…wait, why does this feel so good? Come on, Nick, its Jeff, get this under control or he'll never stop giving you crap about it…_

Again, the voice of reason was quickly silenced as his tongue nervously traced Jeff's bottom lip. An unwelcome moan snuck out of the brunette's throat at the taste of his friend, which spurred their audience into more excited noises. Sighing, Jeff allowed Nick's tongue to slide into his mouth, melting into the other boy's frame as the tongue traced the roof of his mouth.

_It's just a dare….he's just doing this because he doesn't want to climb the tree….this doesn't mean anything…._

…_..then why does it feel like it does?_

Jeff's thoughts were interrupted (welcomingly so) when Nick released him sometime later…neither one of them knew how long they'd been locked together. The blonde searched his friend's brown eyes, glad that the kiss had temporarily counteracted how much he'd been drinking. Nick cleared his throat awkwardly before meeting Jeff's gaze for a split second, then turned back to the circle. The fleeting second was enough for Jeff to know that Nick's muddled mind had been on similar tracks as his.

Doing his best to clear his racing thoughts, Nick turned back to the circle and flashed a triumphant smile, taking his place on the ground again, joined by Jeff a moment later. "Looks like I'm not gon'be the one in the tree this time, eh Trent?" Trent just grinned like an idiot, looking impressed, slowly nodding at the two. Blinking, he turned his attention to David, startling the rest of the guys back to their fuzzy, alcoholiv earth, with a loud "TRUTH OR DARE, DAVID?" Nick stared at his hands, unable to meet the green gaze he felt boring into the side into of his face.

_That was…..interesting. Awesome, I mean? No, no no no no no, not awesome, definitely not enjoyable, it's Jeff, not awkward but not good…_

…_.oh lord, no…_

…_I'm in love with my best friend._

…_**.the plot thickens ;) so was it the booze, or was it real? You'll have to wait and see, lovelies!**_

_**Special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: justsayyou'llstay, CheekyBrunette, and fearofpainteddevils. (If I missed you, I'M SORRY, I promise I love you just as much :D)**_

_**Edit: wooooo just went back and read through it! So if you're just dropping in, you have nothing to worry about! If not, then neither do you, cause I just messed with how stuff was phrased. No big plot changes, don't worry :)**_

_**So, if you want, leave a review, if not, I just hope you liked it! Have a magical day, y'all :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Just realized I uploaded this on Tuesday but didn't publish…I'M SUPER SMART, GUYS. Sorry about that…. :P**_

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><p>An annoyingly harsh ringing and sense of confusion is not ideal to wake up to, but Jeff found himself doing just that. Blinking in an attempt to stop the room from spinning, he peered around for some clue as to where he was. A few minutes later, the blonde finally got to a state of mild coherency, his first realization being that he was laying on his own bed, thankfully, albeit the wrong way. He was still in the same clothes he'd been wearing last night, the light blue plaid now much more disheveled and undapper than the typical picture of a Dalton boy.<p>

_Last night….oh, right…._

_Wait, I didn't dream that? Crap…_

Pieces of memories and emotions slowly trickled back into Jeff's mind as he gradually came back to consciousness.

_Nick had rejoined the circle, leaving Jeff stunned for a moment. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice his momentary lack of motor control, so he joined the brunette on the floor as soon as his legs remembered how to bend. Jeff searched his friend's face for any traces of….anything, really. The alcohol and dim lights casting shadows on Nick's face made it much harder to see anything, but he still tried to glean any insight into what the other had thought about the kiss. He'd gotten the impression that Nick was just as affected by it as he was before the other boy had turned back to the circle, but a split second look was hardly anything to go on. Jeff knew it had definitely made him start thinking…._

_Despite the numerous times Nick had kissed the blonde's face, and even their accident in rehearsal, it was still mystifying how soft and welcoming his lips had felt….Jeff's inebriated mind just about turned to mashed potatoes when Nick's tongue cautiously entered his mouth, searching everywhere…even the memory of it turned his knees to jelly and started his heart faster._

Squeezing his eyes shut to clear his mind, Jeff jumped at the sound of someone rolling over next to him. His startled green gaze locked on the person who'd just moved, quickly identifying him as Nick. Well, a very hung over, messy Nick. His vest was somewhere that wasn't his body, hopefully somewhere retrievable, and his dark red t-shirt was bunched up around his ribs. His arms covered his face in a half-assed attempt at blocking out the sun, dark hair sticking up in some places, matted down in others. If Jeff's mind hadn't been trying to race around so much, he'd have taken a picture for future blackmailing.

_Good, at least we still have our clothes on…even if nothing else is, I'm pretty sure _that_ would be awkward…._

Jeff rolled over so he was now facing Nick, inspecting him for anything that would give a clue as to what happened later last night. The slight outline of a six-pack caught the blonde's attention, but he quickly looked away blushing when the brunette shuffled again, apparently unwilling to wake up, but forced to nonetheless. Yawning, he dropped his arms, groaning when the cheery sunlight hit him square in the face. Eventually, his confused eyes found Jeff's, grinning at the familiar sight.

"Oh, good, I didn't do anything stupid last night, like sleeping in Trent's room…that would have _sucked,_ waking up in there." His voice was surprisingly clear and un-slurred, then again, Nick never was one to stay hung over for too long. The smile faded from his lips like a light being turned off, and Jeff could only assume that the memories of the previous night had come back. A slew of emotions flashed across his brown eyes, surprise, disbelief, and fear being the most obvious. There was one other as well, which, on anyone else, Jeff would have called _love_, but he pushed that thought away, discounting his best friend as being one to show love towards him. Nick's gaze dropped to the mattress, awkwardness and tension slowly growing between them. Impatient, Jeff broke the silence.

"So, do we need to….like, talk about it…or something?"

Nervous dark eyes shot up to his face again. "Talk about what?"

"You know….what happened_?_"

"Oh, yeah, uh, right…um, I don't think so? We were drunk, it didn't mean anything…." Nick stared at the mattress again, trying to hide how much it stung him to say that.

"Alright, then, stuff won't be awkward? I mean, sure, the other guys are gonna give us crap for the rest of our lives, but…_we _won't be awkward, right?"

Suddenly unable to form a response, Nick just nodded, tracing random patterns into the mattress.

Sensing his friend wanted to be left to his thoughts, Jeff hauled himself off the bed, trying not to stumble as the ceiling came down a few inches of its own free will. Once the room returned to normal dimensions, he staggered off into the shower, hoping it would bring him back to his senses.

_C'mon, Jeff, you didn't _really _want that to mean anything, it was just the alcohol talking. _

Stepping into the cold shower, the blonde shivered at the refreshingly bitter temperature. Cold showers were his miracle hangover cure; something about the sudden temperature change always reoriented his brain and put everything back together. This time was no different, the missing pieces of memory and emotions from the party fell into place, but certainly not with the result the blonde expected.

_Not good, notgoodnotgoodnotgood…._

…_..I'm in love with my best friend._

* * *

><p>Nick and Jeff had pretty much managed to avoid the other Warblers for the rest of the weekend; the boys tended to make themselves scarce after a party. Waltzing around campus with a raging hangover was an awesome way to get shipped back home. So, the two holed themselves up in their room and stumbled through homework, ignoring the occasional knocks at the door. However, breakfast Monday morning wasn't so lucky. The other Warblers were now recovered and allowed back in public, and back they were.<p>

The two casually walked through the wooden doors of the dining hall, not trusting themselves to have a human conversation at this hour. Jeff's eyes were drawn to the table of Warblers, which was, of course, suddenly hushed and talking amongst itself. Only a handful of the boys were there, but Jeff did spot Kurt's piercing blue gaze in the group, which was enough of a clue to know what they were excitedly murmuring about. The blonde sighed, flashing what he hoped was a warning glare when the porcelain boys' knowing eyes met his across the room, earning a sly wink in response. Nick was still too tired to notice, so Jeff figured he wouldn't say anything. Making their way through the line, the nervous feeling in Jeff's stomach growing as their proximity to the gossipy table grew closer. Still oblivious and yawning, Nick plopped down next to Kurt, muttering a greeting as he started working on an apple. Jeff cautiously slid in next to his friend, pretending not to notice that the table had suddenly gone silent. A few tense seconds later, the blonde's patience snapped.

"What, guys? Y'all need to chill with the imagination, really." Wes snorted, but tried to hide it in his coffee cup. Nick finally seemed to be coming to a state of consciousness, peering at the intrigued faces that peered right back. Turning to Jeff, he raised an eyebrow in a wordless question. _What the hell?_

"I don't know, Nick, maybe one of these yahoos could tell you."

Kurt was all too happy to jump at the invitation. "Yes, Nick, me and my _yahoo_ buddies here, as blondie so eloquently put it, are wondering what the _hell _happened Saturday night? And don't give me any of that "we were drunk" crap, 'cause EVERYONE at this table knows that the sexual tension between the two of you is thicker than owl snot. So _spill, _Duval." A few boys looked around in confusion at Kurt's metaphor, but soon turned back to the matter at hand when Nick and Jeff adopted the same "oh, crap" expression. "SEE? HA, I _KNEW _IT! You two totally went back to your room and kept making out or something." Shock hit the small boy's eyes, and he smirked wolfishly. "Ooh, did Three and Six do it? C'mon, c'mon, don't lie, just tell us what happened!" He was poking Nick excitedly, who was thinking about tying Kurt's hands down with his tie. The brunette scrambled for an excuse that would pass, when an even better option came across his mind.

"Kurt, how do you even _know_ that we kissed? Last I remember, you and a certain intoxicated, un-dapper Warbler soloist went missing in action after being sent to the bathroom?" Kurt blushed fast, the wine-red stain standing out sharply against his bright white skin. Their now captive audience snickered, fixing their curious gazes on Kurt's face, which was a surprisingly good imitation of a Japanese flag.

"First, I know because it was all Trent would talk about all weekend. Second, what Blaine and I may or may not be doing isn't something you want me to tell you about, because I'll go into unnecessary detail to keep you from ever asking again. Got it?" The small boy fixed his harsh gaze on the other uniformly dressed boys, who shrunk back and made busy with their food. Jeff hid behind Nick; the way Kurt always got mad when someone embarrassed him was hilarious and super fun to exploit at the most socially inappropriate times. Like when Trent had yelled "GET SOME, HUMMEL!" at him when he was talking to his French teacher after school one day; Kurt had just about ripped his head off, and in the process, scared his French teacher half to death. Ironically, it was the very same day he got together with Blaine, but it still pissed him off.

Satisfied that he had shut the table up, Kurt slung his bag over his shoulder and made to leave the room, speaking softly to Nick and Jeff before he left.

"You two should know better to hide stuff from me, you should know by now that I find out _everything _at one point or another." His tone was lofty and knowing as his bright eyes flicked between the two, who just responded with blank expressions. Huffing in exasperation at their maddening ability to collectively stonewall, he stalked off. Waiting until he was halfway out the room, Nick called after him, "You okay, Kurt? It looks like you're _limping _a little!" Jeff, along with half the room, burst out in laughter, which quickly died down to badly hidden snickers when Kurt flashed a look around that would kill if looks could, flipping Nick off as he stalked away. As the door shut behind him, the Warbler table broke out in hoots of laughter again, high-fiving Nick. He'd always been the best at ruffling Kurt's feathers, and that was certainly an appreciated skill amongst the Warblers. They loved the little porcelain boy, but it was just too fun to mess with him.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, they'd managed to fend off the gossipy, fascinated looks for the rest of the school day. Jeff had beaten Nick back to their room; the brunette had to get help with Chemistry, or something like that.<p>

_So, if there's an explosion over in the science building, I'll know whose name to give to the cops…._

Ditching his blazer and tie in their unceremoniously into their corner-dwelling mound, Jeff fell back onto his bed, relishing the refreshing feeling of Ohio's cold air dancing around his now bare torso. Closing his eyes, he sighed happily.

_Mmmm….moments like this remind me why I put up with my crazy friends. I mean, other than the fact that I love them, but, yeah, I know what I mean. Dalton's crazy, but nice. Kinda like Nick…._

…_.dammit, brain, stop relating everything to him. _

Speak of the devil, the door swung open shortly after that thought crossed the blonde's mind, letting in a much-too-energetic Nick. Jeff lazily opened one eye, smiling tiredly at his roommate, who flashed a thousand-watt smile back, effectively melting Jeff's mind for a moment. Nick patted the blonde's knee as he went by, trying to keep his eyes from wandering across the other boy's exposed body. His sleepy, slightly slurred, and fortunately timed, mumblings were a good distraction.

"Hey, why're you so excited about?" Jeff turned his attention back to the ceiling, trying to go back to his dazed state, but his roommate's energy was irritatingly infectious, making that whole endeavor pointless.

"Didn't I tell you this morning? There's a fight tonight, like, the first one in _ages_. Blaine put it together, I guess he missed it as much as I did…and you know how much I love going and beating the crap out of other people." Nick's sarcasm was obvious, but it still got the blonde's attention. Heaving himself up into a sitting position, Jeff quirked an eyebrow at his roommate, who had made quick work of trading his uniform for sweatpants and an old soccer t-shirt.

"Hey, if you did tell me, I probably blocked it out. You _know _how much I hate knowing you're down there, I feel like you're gonna come back in a box, or something…I know you're tough, Nick, but you're not indestructible." The blonde tried to keep his tone jovial, but a bit of his fear crept in at the end.

Nick knelt down in front of Jeff, who just stared down at his lap, bearing an uncannily similar resemblance to a small child. Covering the blonde's hands, stopping him from nervously playing with them, Nick cringed internally at how scared for him his roommate was.

"Hey, if you don't want me to go, I won't. I can stick to punching bags for a little while, it's not like they'll go and hit me back." Jeff half-smiled, and part of him was tempted to ask the other boy to stay…but the rational part of his mind realized that he didn't _really _have anything to worry about. Besides, he was the one who got pummeled in that sweaty room, not Nick. Embarrassingly enough, even Kurt managed to hold his own longer than the blonde….he didn't live that down for a month.

"No, I'm not about to turn into your _wife_, Nicky, you're going. _I _was the one who got beaten to a pulp, not you, and besides, you actually know what you're doing. I, however, do not, as we all witnessed last year." Nick grinned at the memory, stifling a laugh. Jeff had had a black eye for weeks, and a mark on his hip that, when turned upside down, almost looked like Aretha Franklin. At least, that's what Blaine insisted.

"Thanks, Six. Really, you don't have anything to worry about; no one even got a hit in on me last year, I'm not about to let that go out the window on the first match!" Squeezing his shoulder reassuringly, Nick left a kiss in the blonde's hair before flopping down on the bed next to him. "So, I've got an hour before Thad comes to collect me. What d'you wanna do?"

Lying so they were both looking at the off-white ceiling, Jeff yawned widely. "Well, I was about to fall asleep before you barged in here with all your energy and whatnot, so I think I'm gonna finish that up. You do what you want, but I'm gonna be here unconscious." He punctuated this with another yawn, scooting up so his feet weren't hanging over the edge of the bed, surprised when Nick followed him, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"I think I'm gonna join you, if you don't mind. Besides, you know you sleep better when I'm here." Nick winked playfully at the blonde's unamused expression, affectionately ruffling his hair. Too lazy to come up with a smart-ass comeback, Jeff just turned into the brunette's side, resting a hand on his stomach and humming affirmatively. Nick smiled down at the sleepy figure, the hypnotically regular sound of his breathing soon drawing him down into sleep.

Fortunately, Jeff was so out of it that he didn't even blink when Nick slipped out of his grip an hour later, or when the brunette pulled his navy blue blanket up over him. Thad made a heart with his fingers from the doorway, earning him a slap to the back of the head as he left with Nick.

* * *

><p>Fights always got Nick in a good mood, the exhaustion and adrenaline generated from using other boys as a punching bag were a surprisingly effective mood lifter. Today's fight had been especially good for the brunette; he'd finally managed to beat Spencer, who had set the record for most days as undefeated. No one was shocked at Spencer's record, after all, the boy was an inch or so over six feet tall, and on the generous side of two hundred pounds. The kid was a tank, and very few people got close to even doing some real damage. Something had just worked with Nick today, and he'd sent the other boy flying with a powerful kick to the chest, along with gracing him with a fine collection of multicolored bruises. Unfortunately, Nick hadn't gotten away unscathed, and was now the proud owner of a fist-shaped mark right in the middle of his back, and a badly bruised cheekbone, which he was shocked hadn't snapped. The audience to their fight had reacted just like in the movies; the champion went flying, and they hushed into a startled silence. Then, after inspecting the one who'd beat him for a few uncomfortable seconds, cheered raucously. Accepting the praise and typical congratulatory slaps, he'd decided to slip back to his dorm before the faculty would start milling around for dinner. Traipsing across the school with half of your face freshly bruised was just like doing it drunk; you never did, because someone was gonna get "deported," as they called it, or sent back home. Now, leaning against the door of his room, Nick was desperately trying to come up with a way to hide the unattractive yellowish-green spot right on the side of his face from Jeff. The blonde was so nervous about him earlier, and coming back beat up wasn't a great way to instill confidence. As he was about to just face the wrath of God that Jeff no doubt would have in store, a small voice floated out from behind the door.<p>

_Oh, that's right, it's the first weekend, how could I forget his family was coming today? Eh, I dunno. Either way, they make for awesome coverup! With them here, he can't really react, at least not to the magnitude he wants to…I can honestly say I have never loved those little hell-raisers more._

Silently slipping into the room, Nick leaned against the closed door, thankful that Jeff hadn't noticed him come in. The girl, about nine years old, was bouncing excitedly on the end of the bed, her platinum blonde hair bouncing with almost as much joy as her tiny frame was showing. Her twin brother sat calmly next to her, turning sharply when Nick shifted against the door. He was the polar opposite of his sister; dark hair and eyes, not to mention exponentially calmer. Nick winked at the boy with a grin, pressing a finger to his lips to signal the boy to not acknowledge him. He grinned evilly, loving to play games with his older brother. As he turned back to Jeff, Nick tuned into what the little girl was talking rapidly about.

"Come _on,_ Jeffy, play us something! We _never_ get to see you anymore, and I can't fall asleep as quick when you're not there to sing to me!" The girl whined, but she was too cute for it to be annoying.

_Aww, Jeffy used to sing his sister to sleep? That's both incredibly adorable _and _awesome for teasing….you're so gonna get it, blondie._

Jeff squatted down in front of the girl, restraining her explosive antics as best he could. "Alright, Ray, but you have to promise to sit still, okay?" Nick remembered that the girls' name was actually Rebecca, but insisted that everyone called her Ray for some reason. He'd only encountered his roommate's family twice before, and was still trying to remember all their names. Rebecca sat down, clasping her hands in her lap and nodding vigorously. Grinning, Jeff tapped her on the nose and pulled his guitar out of the closet, taking the pick from the chain around his neck. "So, what d'you guys wanna hear? What about you, Mikey, you got any ideas?"

The boy rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Jeff, I _told_ you not to call me that! I'm Mike, not Mikey! Mikey makes me sound too young." Nick bit back a laugh at Mike's response; his pout combined with the fact that he wanted to seem older was really quite comical. Apparently Jeff had about the same reaction, as the blonde's smile seemed to want to keep going off his face.

"Okay, _Michael, _what do you want to hear big brother sing?"

Nodding his approval at his name, Mike thought for a minute, only to be interrupted by an energetic little voice next to him.

"OH! I KNOW! Jeffy, do that one about the lasso! I like that one, even though you never sang it to help me go to sleep!"

_That must happen a lot, Mike didn't even flinch….I wonder if that's what Kurt meant by how his Glee club dealt with that Rachel girl…._

Jeff's face lit up at the request, so Nick gathered it must be a song he liked doing. The kids sat back excitedly as the blonde started strumming, beginning the vocals shortly after.

_Where would you go ?__  
><em>_Not long ago__  
><em>_I've been thinking out loud__  
><em>_Why so suddenly ?__  
><em>_Don't you know ?__  
><em>_Don't do it__  
><em>_What you do__  
><em>_Oh What you do to me_

_Forever is a long long time__  
><em>_When you've lost your way__  
><em>_Trying to follow your ideal__  
><em>_Oh sorry but your so called life__  
><em>_It is such a waste_

_I see why they like this song so much….his voice is perfect for it…dammit, Jeff, why do you have to be so amazing?_

_Wear your real eyes__  
><em>_No you don't realize__  
><em>_What you say yes to__  
><em>_But you say yes too_

_Where would you go__  
><em>_Where would you go__  
><em>_With a lasso ?__  
><em>_Could you run into__  
><em>_Could you run into__  
><em>_Could you go and run into me?_

_Where would you go__  
><em>_Where would you go__  
><em>_Tied up in a lasso ?__  
><em>_Could you run into__  
><em>_Could you run into__  
><em>_Could you go and run into me?_

_So lonely so pretty such a lack of diplomacy__  
><em>_You can't get out__  
><em>_Don't you know don't do it__  
><em>_what you do well you should do to me__  
><em>_Far-out, so far-out__  
><em>_Such a fall-out__  
><em>_Not only that you're lonely__  
><em>_Don't matter if you're not so well__  
><em>_No you're not so well_

_Tomorrow is a long, long time__  
><em>_When you've lost your way__  
><em>_Tomorrow is a long, long time__  
><em>_When you've lost your way__  
><em>  
><em>Jeff, you're incredible….<em>

The last guitar notes faded out quickly, bringing Nick back to Earth with a jolt. Refocusing on the three other people, he blushed when he noticed Mike watching him with an evil grin. Not just an evil grin that other Dalton boys got, but an evil grin that little kids got…which was so much worse. Raising an eyebrow at the boy, Nick stood up off the door, still trying to be sneaky. It wasn't so hard through the applause of small children, but kicking a trash can is a bit more conspicuous. Jeff jumped at the noise, and Rebecca just yelled "UNCLE NICKY!" at the top of her lungs, barreling towards him. Mike grinned again, closely following his sister. Rebecca leapt into Nick's arms, throwing her arms around his neck like a vice as he caught her, wincing as she collided with the bruised side of his face. Balancing her on one hip, Nick ruffled Mike's hair, who was hugging one of his legs.

"Uncle Nicky, we missed you too! Jeffy is fun and we love him and all, but you tell better stories!" Nick set her down on the bed, scooping up her little brother and putting them next to each other.

"Hey, thanks guys! I missed you too, but I had to go...do some stuff for one of my teachers. Anyway, I'm pretty sure big brother here forgot to tell me you were coming, else I'd have been here too!" An indignant noise sounded from the closet where Jeff was stashing his guitar. Rebecca raised a little eyebrow at Nick, and for a second she looked exactly like her older brother.

"Psh, please, uncle Nicky, we know you weren't doing stuff for a teacher, just look at your bruise! We may be little but we aren't stupid, you know." She crossed her small arms, proud of herself for making the observation. "Oh! I know! You were at the fight club thing that sweatshirt was talking about! Who'd you beat up this time, anyone good?" Jeff shot out of the closet before Nick could respond.

"Wait, what bruise? Nick, what the hel-what the heck? I'd ask if you're okay, but I remember you saying something like 'no one can touch you,' so I'm gonna let you flaunt your injuries for now." The blonde knelt down next to his friend, trying to mask his concern with lofty superiority. He took Nick's chin and turned the brunette to face him, green eyes shooting wide open as the light hit the disgustingly colored side of his face. "Holy sh-NICK? What happened?" Nick snickered at his second slip; Jeff was usually so well-spoken in front of his family.

"Calm down, love, I'm not dying, and I'll explain it later." He swatted Jeff's hands away, chortling at the blonde's poorly concealed fear. Only Mike seemed to notice the nickname that slipped from Nick's mouth.

"HA! I was right! C'mon, uncle Nicky, _pleeeeeeease _will you tell us who you were fighting?" Rebecca started bouncing again, her muddy green eyes glinting at the hopes of one of Nick's stories. He'd always over-animate them for the kids, and they loved it.

"No, sorry Ray, I can't tell you, I don't think _Mother _here would approve." He whispered the last part to her, pretending to hide it from Jeff, who just rolled his eyes. Rebecca giggled, nodding understandingly. Nick winked at her, patting her knee as he stood up. Stripping off his sweaty Dalton soccer t-shirt, he tossed it in a corner and looked around for the fight club sweatshirt, knowing Rebecca would like it. He pretended not to notice when the sound of a tiny fist hitting another person sounded behind him, followed by a poorly concealed whisper.

"Jeffy, it's not nice to stare!"

Nick could almost feel the blonde blushing, breathing a laugh when he heard his friend try to distract from it with a cough. Of course, the kids were now hell-bent on embarrassing their brother even further. Mike's little voice was next, in a whisper that he obviously wasn't trying to hide, unlike his sister, who was just bad at hiding it.

"I, for one, don't know what you were so scared about, Jeffy, it would seem to me that he actually _does _lookit you the same way!" Nick snorted in surprise at that one.

_Wait, what?_

Finally finding his sweatshirts' hiding spot, Nick turned back to his blonde friend, who was about eighteen shades deeper red than he'd ever been. Playing to the kids' game, Nick looked to Mike.

"What do you mean, Mike? How do you _think _I look at your brother?" He leaned on the wall behind Jeff, who just stared at the ground and shuffled awkwardly. Mike loved it, totally not noticing how embarrassed his brother was.

"_Well, _our parents just kinda dropped us off here, so Ray and I came up here to Jeffy's room! We found it all by ourselves, too. We were about to knock, but we heard him talking to someone else, and Mom always told us it was rude to interrupt someone when they're talking, so we sat outside and waited. We heard him talking to some boy named Trent, and they said something like "We've been best friends for forever and I don't wanna lose it," and then the other boy said "But all you two do is make eyes at each other anyway," and "Go for it, blondie, he looks at you like you look at him." That's all I remember, then Trent came out and we ambushed him! He was super scared of us too." Mike finished his story proudly. Nick's mind was racing, but he somehow managed to put himself together to form coherent sentences.

"You know, I recognize all that! Trent's in the play here, and big brother was just helping him run lines, right?" Jeff nodded, turning back to a more normal color as he tried to smile convincingly. Mike still seemed unconvinced.

"Well, then why were _you_ 'making eyes' at my big brother, uncle Nicky?"

That question stumped Nick.

_God, I wish little kids had stuff to worry about so they'd be less observant. I mean, who actually has time to _look_ for stuff like that in high school?_

Luckily, Jeff had an answer before the silence got too awkward. Looking at a cell phone screen that Nick could see was blank, he put his arms around the kids, herding them towards the door.

"Alright guys, Mom and Dad just texted me, and they want you two to meet them at the cafeteria for dinner. Do you remember where that is?" They nodded, excited to be sent off on another important mission by themselves. "Awesome, it's like you guys already go to school here! So just go meet Mom and Dad there, and be sure to talk to someone if you get lost! Everyone's super friendly, so don't be scared. Now go! Your parents await!" They bustled out the door, waving at the boys as the door shut behind them. Jeff's upbeat façade quickly faded away as he tapped out a text, no doubt to his parents, telling them where he'd sent the two off to. Stuffing the phone back in his pocket, the blonde cleared his throat in a vain attempt to sweep away the awkward. He ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling in exasperation.

"God, I'm so sorry, Nick, you know how they can be, just making stuff up like that, you know?" Jeff stared at the floor, making his cover-up even more obvious. Nick edged towards the blonde, hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt, voice gentle, but firm.

"I don't know, that sounded like stuff Trent would say, hell, stuff he _has _said… "making eyes?" That kid has a pretty good brain if he came up with that." Jeff blushed again.

"Yeah, well, you know, he's, um…perceptive?"

Standing so he could search the blonde's eyes in the dim light, Nick gently laced one of their hands together, stroking it to reassure his roommate.

_He's hiding something…I know it. Hell, Mike knows it…ugh, Jeff, I wish you didn't look like a kicked puppy when you don't want to tell me something, that makes it like, impossible to push you on it…alright...you win this time, Sterling….you're just lucky I love you.._

_Hm. Am I ever gonna get used to saying that?_

"Yeah, I guess little kids are like that, huh? It's cool, he was just making it up." Jeff sighed in relief, shocked and glad that his little act had actually worked.

_Oh, come on, that didn't actually work. Nick's just too nice to make you say something you don't want to. _

Clearing his throat again, Jeff took the out and ran with it. "So, are you ever gonna tell me what happened to give you, Nick Duval, _this _little lovely here? And here I was thinking you were _invincible_?"

Nick snorted, taking his hand back and pulling his shirt over his head, turning around so the blonde could see the fist-shaped spot on his back. Groaning, Jeff traced it with warm fingers, pulling back quickly when the other boy flinched and turned back to face him.

"Really, Nick? Well _done, _sir, really, a spectacular result to be sure. Now put your shirt back on, _this_," he gestured vaguely at the splotch on Nicks other side, "is not sexy." The brunette just winked, but complied.

"Oh, c'mon, you know you love it, _Jeffy_."

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the nickname, the corners of his mouth twitching in concealed amusement. "I'd love it if you told me what the hell happened to get a fist shaped spot on your back and turned half your face yellow? Good luck covering _that _one up, Three."

Nick rolled his eyes, sitting the blonde down on his bed before gingerly occupying a rolling chair, trying to find some way where the metal back didn't hit the inconveniently placed bruise. Once he was successful, and once he'd managed to convince that no, he _didn't_ need to go hunt anyone down, he began the story of his fight, loving the way recounting it brought the same focused feeling back to his body.

"So, Thad and I get down to the ring, and Blaine tells me I'll be fighting Spencer…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wooo, chapter four! I must say, I've been like, TOTALLY blown away by the response to this. Like, you all are the best fans EVER 3<strong>_

_**Special thanks to those of you who were kind enough to review chapter three: CheekyBrunette, WiseGirl-AC, NifftellaxElla, and justsayyou'llstay! You ladies rock :)**_

_**Oh, and go check Cheeky and WiseGirl's stories, they're like, super fantastic. **_

_**So, please do review, as they make my world go 'round :) just like Niff lovin' ;D (woo, lame, I know, but hey, it's late, don't shoot me :D)**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**CheekyBrunette: Sorry, I know I said I'd hold off on something until a later chapter, but it just WORKED here in my mind! So, I do apologize, dearie.**_

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Jeff's family went back home the next day, and the only time the kids saw the pair together was when their parents were around, eliminating more potential humiliation. Even so, both boys couldn't help but notice <em>something<em> going on between them…but neither could quite put a finger on it. Not that they wanted to, but still, the enigmatic feeling buzzed around them like flies to roadkill. Now, on an abnormally energetic Wednesday morning, Nick was trying to come up with a good story to his bruised cheekbone; it had turned from mild yellow to an unappealing greenish hue overnight, and it was certainly going to draw some attention.

"Hm, what do you think, Six? I mean, I could just say I walked into something really hard…but who's gonna believe that?" Nick frowned at himself in the mirror, poking at the mark experimentally and flinching back into the blonde's tall frame when he hit it too hard. Jeff laughed and rested his chin on the other boy's head, snaking an arm through one of Nick's so it looked like he had three hands.

"Well, maybe someone would buy that one of my siblings….sat on you or something? I dunno, it's hard to come up with something that won't make you sound like a total klutz or a wuss…." Rolling his eyes, Nick swatted away the foreign hand that now, having finished it's inspection of his face, was creeping along his chest like a spider. He turned to face the blonde, leaning back against the bathroom counter.

"You're just lucky you're pretty, 'cause otherwise, you're useless." Patting his cheek in that "I'm sorry you're slow" manner, Nick sauntered out of the bathroom, leaving Jeff to work out whether he'd just been complimented or insulted.

"Wait….HEY! That was rude….I think!" Nick winked as the blonde leaned against the doorframe, unsure whether to laugh or look offended.

"E_t__vous ne saurez jamais__, mon ami._"

"Yeah, yeah, up yours, Duval…."

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Nick's teachers had gone along with the excuse that he'd walked into something; they knew the Warblers well enough to assume that when one of them came in showing signs of grievous bodily harm, it wasn't anything to worry about. Even his Trig teacher had believed him, despite the fact that Spencer was in that class, and they'd been laughing about something "so legit," and how "I can't believe I actually got that left hook in on you." That was one of the cool things about fight club; the boys could totally pound the crap out of each other, but still be friends back in the normal (legal) universe.<p>

Jeff and Nick sat in a semi-secluded corner of the library, trying to make sense of a mechanical physics equation sheet. Sure, they could just memorize them like normal high school students, but for some reason they enjoyed killing themselves over the mysterious formulas. Jeff tapped his nose with a pencil as he stared at the second equation, wishing he'd taken at least ten minutes of Calculus so he knew what the hell a derivative was.

"So…if the rotational inertia is equal to the derivative of radius squared times the density times the mass, then that's equal to the mass times radius squared…what the hell? Nicky, does this make any sense to you?"

Nick was staring at the paper with an equally clueless expression, thinking about who would even have the _time _to figure out something like that.

_I mean, who saw something spinning and thought "Hey! That's what that is doing! I better go write that down to be a royal pain in the ass to future students everywhere!" Whoever it was, I really wish they hadn't…._

"What? Sorry, no, I have _no _earthly idea what's going on here. Why don't we just conform to social ways and memorize these things? I have to teach myself something for Trig anyway, something about inverse function graphs…I dunno, I tuned out class today."

Jeff was about to agree as an excited Trent poked his head around a bookshelf, voice about to bubble over with whatever he was about to say.

"Oh, there you two are! We've been looking everywhere for you, we figured you'd be making out somewhere if you weren't in your room." He paused to wink at Jeff, who blushed, shuffling papers around and glaring at Trent. "Anyway, Wes called an 'emergency meeting,' God knows why, and since y'all didn't answer your phones he sent me to come look for you. So c'mon, lovebirds, you gots somewhere to be!"

Nick held his hands up in surrender, sweeping some random notes into his bag and relocating the mechanics book they were using to the shelf opposite Jeff, pausing for a second when he realized something.

"Wait a second, Trent, its like, four already, why didn't Wes send you to get us sooner?"

Trent hesitated, eyes darting around the room as he came up with a reason. "Oh, he…just called it a few minutes ago! Yeah, I guess even the mighty council has other things to do, huh?" Nick didn't seem to buy it, but went to reshelf the book anyway. As the brunette went behind him, Trent caught Jeff by the elbow and whispered in his ear.

"_Did you tell him yet?"_

The blonde quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"_I'm serious, _did you tell him_ yet."_

"_No, of course I didn't, just because my nine year old brother says he's making eyes at me doesn't make it a fact."_

Trent rolled his eyes, ready to slap the boy until he finally saw what was going on.

"_Really, man, you need to tell him soon, before someone else snatches him up."_

"Tell who what?" Nick's voice brought the other two out of their apparently not-so-subtle whispering. Jeff shuffled uncomfortably, looking to Trent for an out, who, unhelpfully, had slipped out behind a bookshelf. The blonde sighed at his feet, scrambling to come up with something.

"Oh, um, nothing, just, it's nothing, nevermind, let's just go."

Nick was not convinced, but he still chose to go with it, following his internally-facepalming friend out the door to the Warbler room.

_Sooner or later this recurring awkwardness is gonna have to go…you better watch it, Sterling, me and my battle scar are gonna find out what you don't want to tell us…._

* * *

><p>Thankfully, the practice room wasn't too terribly far away from the library, so the two weren't worried about pissing off their fearless leader anymore than normal. Still bouncing around ideas about the physics homework when they entered, the pair looked around in confusion when they saw the room was empty, except for Wes, Trent, and Kurt. The porcelain boy looked suspiciously like he was out for revenge, which unnerved them. Smirking at the identical look of confusion and dread Jeff and Nick both had, Wes broke the silence.<p>

"Alright, you two, this has been going on long enough. We see it, even if you two imbeciles don't, and I can see you're not following anything of what I'm saying here." Wes sighed at the blank looks the pair was now fixing on him. "Alright. As Kurt so eloquently put it this morning, the sexual tension between the two of you is _thicker than owl snot._" It finally dawned on Nick what was going on, and he slowly inched backwards towards the door, tugging the blonde with him. Trent crossed his arms over his chest, nodding at Kurt, who darted behind them and shut the large doors, blocking them with his little body. Nick towered over him, making like he was going to pick Kurt up and spin him around like a propeller.

"Don't even think about trying to intimidate me, Duval, that pretty little thing on your face doesn't scare me." Kurt's voice dripped with his famous sarcasm, making Nick swear internally, turning resignedly back to the other two. Trent snickered, picking up where Wes had left off.

"Aight, so, you two are in love, we see it, and you _don't_, so we're gonna shut you in here until you do. Sound good? If you're gonna give me that "oh, we're just friends" crap, then just go back to doing what you were doing with math, or French, or whatever the hell that was you were doing when I found you. Either way, you're stuck in here for a while, so get comfy." Before slipping out the door with the other two, Trent winked at Jeff, which wasn't unnoticed by Nick this time. The blonde ran his fingers through his hair, staring at the ground for a moment before falling onto a couch, desperately trying to shove away the awkward.

"Hey, they kinda remind you of Mike sometimes, huh? You know, making stuff up all the time…" Nick sat down next to him, warring parties in his brain going at each other violently.

_Come on, Nick, just bother him a little bit…you know how open Jeff is with you, it won't take anything to get him to talk…_

…_But I know he won't want to….and he'd hate it if I made him say something before he was ready to….wait, what was he whispering to Trent earlier? Something like "tell him soon?" God, I don't even know what that means. _

Jeff's eyes were intently focused on his friend's face, his brows furrowed slightly as he tried to read the other boy's mind. The sheer inquisitiveness of the look derailed Nick's train of thought, forcing him to just say _something_.

"Yeah, they're like Mike, but are they really making it up?" Nick stared at his lap, voice low and unwavering, but still unsure. The blonde stiffened momentarily, sending panic down Nick's spine.

_Crap, I knew it, that was the wrong answer. _

When Jeff gathered his wits enough to come up with a human response, his voice was undeniably shaky with nerves, much to his dismay. "What…what do you mean, Nick?"

_Well….it's now or never, I guess…._

Still fiddling with his hands, Nick's voice slowly lost its edge of uncertainty as he spoke, not really thinking about what was going to come out of his mouth. "Well…I mean, I see what they mean…you know, we fall asleep wrapped together, and we'll walk around holding hands just for the hell of it…" He turned on the couch so he was facing his friend, whose green eyes were conveniently hidden behind his bangs. Inching closer, Nick could see the wild swirl of feelings being stirred up at his words; uncertainty, affection, fear, _love_, more uncertainty….but the fact that there were at least _some_ good things in the mix gave the brunette confidence. "Jeff…do you at least see what I mean? _I _get what they're saying, and I get why they locked us in here, but do I really need to explain to _you _what it is that _we _do? I mean, I know there's not much going on up in that head of yours, but still…."

The blonde half-smiled into his lap, not trusting himself to look at his friend just yet.

_Trent did say I'd have to tell him sooner or later….so why not sooner rather than later? Wow, I _really _hope this doesn't blow up in my face. _

When he spoke at his hands, Jeff's voice was soft. "Yes, Nicky, I know, and I see it too….even when you tried to weasel out of kissing me at that party." Jeff laughed at the memory, finally looking up into his roommate's eyes, which were slightly crinkled from their owner's grin. "But yeah…I know what you mean."

_He _would _bring up the kiss…hey, maybe I can go with that…_

Nick took one of the other boy's hands in his own, casually lacing their fingers together. "Oh, come on, Sterling, you know you liked that." He winked playfully at the blonde, making him duck behind his bangs and blush. "But seriously, Six….I'm honestly surprised that we aren't really a couple already…." Nick mumbled the last part, kicking himself internally before the sentence was even over. Jeff briefly squeezed the hand he held, telling him to keep going. Gathering every scrap of confidence he had, Nick shuffled closer to the blonde so their knees were touching, still facing him.

…_.here we go…_

"Sounds a little weird, I know…but think about it…we do more couple-y stuff in public than Kurt and Blaine. Like, I kiss you a lot…on your nose…on your cheek…in your hair…" Nick softly kissed his friend's face between words, the other boy's tension and shaky exhale barely registering in his mind. He pulled back barely enough to look Jeff in the eyes, their noses almost touching. "But…when I do this, it's suddenly awkward…." Desperately hoping the blonde wouldn't be scared away, Nick pressed his lips to Jeff's, pulling back quickly when he felt the other stiffen. "Yeah…kinda like that…"

_Dammit, I knew that would happen…_

Nick squeezed the blonde's hand in apology, confused to find that Jeff wasn't letting him take his hand back. A tentative hand on his cheek made him meet the other's eyes, finding his apprehension and affection for the blonde boy reflected in green.

"We really are idiots, aren't we?"

"_SEE, WE TOLD YOU YOU WERE." _

The voice sounded suspiciously like Trent's, and was followed by the unmistakable sound of someone angrily shushing him by means of covering his mouth. Rolling his eyes, Jeff shouted at the door.

"AND YOU THREE ARE CREEPS."

"_NO, ACTUALLY, THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF US. KURT LEFT WITH BLAINE A FEW MINUTES AGO. WE'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY'RE HEADED IN THE SAME DIRECTION YOU TWO WERE."_

Nick blushed furiously, brushing imaginary hairs out of his face, while Jeff just laughed at the door, moving to open it and let their stalkers in. Familiar arms around his waist stopped him when he gripped the door handle, followed by Nick whispering in his ear so low their audience would miss it.

"So can we talk about this tonight? Maybe where we _won't _have anyone dropping eaves?" Jeff silently laughed, leaning back to brush his nose against Nick's bruised cheek.

"Definitely…I, for one, enjoyed where it was going, I don't know about you…" Kicking himself for the blatant audacity, Jeff felt heat creep into his face, which only got worse when Nick hummed against his neck.

"Hmm, I can't say I didn't like it….but please, we _do _need to talk about this, okay?" Dark brown puppy dog eyes made quick work of dissolving Jeff's act of considering what the other had said, so he just nodded. Smiling contentedly, Nick released the blonde with a quick kiss to his neck as the doors swung open, Wes and Trent spilling into the room. Peering down disapprovingly at their friends, the pair hovered over them as they tried to untangle themselves. Eventually, they were successful, popping to their feet with wide grins.

"See? We _do _know what we're doing!" Trent bounced up and down like a little girl, eyes flicking between them. Jeff rolled his eyes at the excited boy.

"No, you don't know what you're doing, you're just creepy. YES, that does count as creepy, you were listening to us kiss! Seriously, Trent, I'm gonna lock _you _in there with a group of Crawford girls and see what happens."

As apparently was required by law, else it wouldn't happen so much, Wes interjected with his leader-ly tone. "Alright, guys, that's enough, the point is, you two are together now, and that's what we were going for. You're welcome, by the way." Nick shrugged, slipping his hand into Jeff's again.

"Sure, you can take credit, just know that this would have happened anyway if you'd left us to our own devices." Trent raised an eyebrow, a move that was soon mirrored by Wes.

"Oh, come _on,_ guys, you two are way too oblivious and/or dense to actually have made anything happen."

"Yeah, that's probably true, but something would have slipped. Like how I _talked to you _about this and my little brother ended up knowing, something like that." Dry sarcasm dripped off the blonde's voice like sweat off a sumo wrestler. Trent cringed at the mention of Jeff's younger brother.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but hey, how could I know they were just chilling out there?"

Jeff's retort was cut off by a soft tug on his hand, and Nick's voice overriding his own. "Yeah, yeah, accidents happen, little kids have huge mouths, what're you gonna do, blah blah blah. Thank you, oh fearless leader and...his ungainly sidekick, but your little experiment has given us stuff to talk about when you two perverts aren't sitting out here counting the times we kiss. So, if you'll excuse us, we'll just be off, then." The blonde tipped an imaginary hat as they set off towards their room, thankful that Nick was good at shutting Wes or Trent up just by talking for a long time.

As the door clicked shut and locked, the two sat on one of the beds facing each other, neither too sure about what to say. Eventually, Jeff broke the emptiness.

"So….does this mean we're together now?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>First, sorry for that possibly disgusting simile up top there, I'm in what <strong>_**could**_** be called the South, so roadkill is a pretty common thing down here, sorry if it bugs you!**_

_**Second, if I mess up the French, sorry, I speak Italian and Google translate, definitely not French. **_

_**On a random note, who else thinks that Grant Gustin looks a lot like Chris Pine? That just hit me this week, and my darling mother doesn't see it, BUT I AM CONVINCED. So anyone else agree? :D oh, and Curt Mega reminds me of one of the Beatles sometimes….but that's more of a stretch, and I can't think of any of their names right now . shame on me. **_

_**Anyway those were the thoughts I had while writing this. Woo! **_

_**UBER SUPER SPECIAL THANKS to those of you who reviewed chapter four….CheekyBrunette, cArLySTAR15, justsayyou'llstay, and NifftellaxElla! Also, unrelated, but I saw someone who put this on alert whose name was "swedenlovesniff," or something like that about Sweden, and I'd just like to say HELLO to our possibly Swedish fan! I love foreign countries like Southern hicks love beer. So hello there!**_

_**Anyway, that's enough from me, do please leave a review, my lovely ladies :) they help me figure out where to go from here :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

A black pickup truck rolled into Dalton's otherwise empty visitor's lot. It wasn't too strange that the area was empty; not too many visitors would be coming in on a random Thursday afternoon in November. It was still that weird limbo between Halloween and Thanksgiving where everyone spent their time as far away from family as possible, knowing relatives were imminent to arrive and make themselves known in the most intrusive of fashions, often bearing fruitcakes for some ungodly reason.

A petite, pretty blonde woman turned to her husband as the truck's engine shut off. Her motherly voice had a hint of a Brooklyn accent, and her muddy green eyes showed worry.

"Justin, I don't know if we should do this, I mean, he may not even want us around at all anymore, he told me just last month that those Warbler boys were like a family to him too! Anyway, we were just here a few weeks ago, maybe we shouldn't…"

Justin, who was clearly less of a worrier than his wife, smiled encouragingly at her, which seemed to help a little bit. His voice held a bit of a Southern drawl, but only the smallest of inflections. "Oh, come on, Nora, you know that's not what he meant! Jeff's always gonna love you, and us, I hope, no matter how many friends he makes here. He always was a momma's boy anyway, he'll love that you're here." Mr. Sterling grinned at his wife, pleased that her worry lines had evened out. Nora always was doing this or that for the kids, and he was always happy when he could put her racing mind at ease. Turning to the kids in the back, who were engrossed with a Slinky, like they'd been since they found it in the house that morning, Justin snapped at them to get their attention. Simultaneously, their attention jerked forward, kind of like hunting dogs. If they had floppy ears, they would be pointed straight at their dad.

"Alright, kids, we're here! Ready to go see your brother?" The twins nodded enthusiastically, shoving the Slinky into one of the pockets on the back of the seats. They both slid out one side of the car, tripping over each other as they tried to carefully clamber down the truck, which was a pretty long way down if you were nine. Rebecca brushed her hair out of her face dramatically when she hit the ground, earning a joking punch from her brother.

"Oh, come _on,_ Ray, don't pretend like you're a model!"

Rebecca pouted at her twin, allowing herself to be ushered along by her parents. Moments later, Mike whispered in her ear, soft enough so their parents couldn't hear over their own conversation, which Mike really wasn't interested in anyway.

"So, d'you think Uncle Nicky and Jeff are together yet?"

The girl looked at her brother incredulously, her eyes flashing with disbelief. "Oh, _please_, Mikey, there's _no chance. _I don't even know why you keep saying that, you know Jeffy! He's too stupid to see that Uncle Nicky is _totally_ in love with him!"

Their brother's dorm hall loomed over the family as they got closer. "Hey, Ray, you wanna bet? You know, on whether Jeffy and Nicky are together now?" Rebecca considered the offer as thoroughly as a nine year old could.

"Hmm…..okay! I'll bet you a _whole _month's allowance that Jeff is _not_ together with Uncle Nicky!" Both twins smugly grinned in their confidence they were right and shook on it, marching in behind their parents to determine the results of their bet. Jeff's room was on the second floor, and at the top of the stairs, the twins bolted towards their brother's door, fleeing away from their confused parents with great velocity. They thought about screeching in greeting, but they saw some boys they recognized milling around, and decided Jeff wouldn't appreciate it if they annoyed his friends. So, they settled for bouncing up and down excitedly in front of the door, waiting for their laughing parents to catch up.

Nora jogged up behind the kids, laughing with them as they bubbled excitedly. "Okay, okay, calm down! Just give me a sec, guys, I have a key, but you need to move so I can unlock the door!" Herding her twins out of the way, Mrs. Sterling eventually got the door unlocked, opening it and closely following the two little ones.

"Hey, Jeff, we're back! Hope you don't min-OH! Oh my god, I'm so sorry, sweetie, we'll just, um, be out here!" Nora stopped dead in her tracks, covering her eyes, while her husband peered over her, instantly confused, angry, and shocked all at the same time. The thing they least expected to be behind the door was their son, shirtless, underneath another boy, who they figured was most likely Nick, on one of the beds with their lips locked together. The boys broke apart at her surprised squeal, followed by a _thud_ and a quiet curse as Nick jumped off the blonde the wrong way and hit the floor. Totally underneath the radar of their parent's attention, Mike punched the air in success, turning triumphantly to his sister, who was pouting.

"_Told you they'd be together!"_ He whispered in her ear, so their parents wouldn't notice. The blonde girl just crossed her arms, turning back to the now-entertaining spectacle that was Jeff trying to pick up pieces of his dignity. He scrambled off the bed, quickly pulling a t-shirt on backwards that may or may not have been his.

"Mom, wait, I'm sorry, we kinda weren't expecting you, wait, where are you going?" Mrs. Sterling ushered her family out the door, awkwardly staring at the ground.

"It's okay, Jeff, we'll come back in a few minutes and try that again." Before the door was shut, Mr. Sterling poked his head back in the room and mouthed _It's okay, she'll be fine _at his son, his eyes sympathetic.

No longer hearing sounds of Sterlings bustling around, Nick deemed it safe to get up from his safe spot on the floor. Turning Jeff by his shoulders, the blonde started rambling as soon as he'd made the revolution.

"Oh, god, Nick, this is gonna go so badly. I mean, she just rushed out the door, that doesn't mean anything good is gonna happen…she didn't even know we were _together, _Nicky, I've been meaning to tell her but she's always busy…too busy, always too busy, and now she finds out like _this_!" He looked ready to keep going, so Nick shut him up with a finger on his lips, staring deep into the frantic boy's green eyes. He tried to convey some sense of comfort with a soft voice, despite how panicked he was.

_Cool, so the first time Mr. Sterling sees me as Jeff's boyfriend is when I'm kissing him into the mattress. Nah, no need to freak out._

"It's okay, Jeff, she was going to find out sooner or later. Anyway, I _know_ your mom, she's like, the coolest mom ever, so don't even think she's gonna love you any less, or some crap like that. Now go bring them back in here, I'm sure your mom's gonna have some questions, and your dad is gonna give me that "hurt my son and I'll kill you" speech. Oh, and your little twins are gonna be super excited, I bet." Jeff tried to smile convincingly, but came up a little short, which didn't go unnoticed by his boyfriend. Playing with the belt loops on the blonde's jeans, Nick murmured into his ear, voice dropping an octave or two as he sidled closer. "Besides, the sooner we explain everything, the sooner they'll go home, and then we can pick up _right where we left off_…." Weakening at the kisses trailing down his neck, Jeff quickly caught his boyfriend's lips in a searing kiss, softly moaning when Nick's teeth grazed his top lip. Forcing himself to pull away, he shoved the brunette towards the bed, pointing a warning finger at him.

"_You,_ sir, had better not mess this up! Start by putting a shirt on, then just….try to look normal?" His words were joking, but his green eyes were slightly worried as he backed toward the door, flipping his shirt the right way as he went. Once he was sure they didn't look like they'd just been _interrupted_, Jeff yelled to his family through the door.

"Okay, so take two?"

A rumbling laugh echoed back, and Nick assumed it belonged to Jeff's dad. "Sure, take two." The blonde grinned at his boyfriend, who joined him at the door as it swung open. Mrs. Sterling looked much more composed, as did Mr. Sterling, who was tactlessly inspecting Nick as his wife hugged them.

"Hey, sweetie, so, we're back! I know we were just here a few weeks ago, but your aunt wants us to go down to Tennessee with them for Thanksgiving, so we figured we'd surprise you early!" Nick looked at the blonde family confused for a second, and then realized what they were doing, and just went with it.

"Hi, Mrs. Sterling, nice to see you again!" Smiling warmly, Nick offered a hand to the petite lady, which was disregarded as she hugged him fiercely, laughing.

"Oh, come on, Nick, you've known me long enough, call me Nora!" She backed up to her husband as the twins got bored and shoved their way through, tackling Nick in a two-man bear hug, almost knocking him over. Making a show out of regaining his balance, the brunette picked up Rebecca, who climbed onto his shoulders, tangling her hands in his hair for stability. Mike attacked his brother, who patted his head and returned the hug. Mr. Sterling tried to seem intimidating and fatherly, but he found that increasingly challenging as he realized the boy his son had just been kissing actually wasn't a bad guy. Sighing resignedly, he offered a hand to Nick, who took it, meeting the older man's gaze apologetically. Jeff's dad nodded gruffly, which the brunette took as a signal that he was _not _going to die today.

Once the twins were back on the ground, Jeff turned to his parents, nervously clearing his throat. "Mom, Dad, I have something I need to tell you, but first, we should move so we aren't partially in the hallway." Nick suppressed a laugh at the blonde's seriousness; Jeff always got unnecessarily formal with people when he was scared of them. Still smiling warmly, Nora agreed, following the twins as they catapulted themselves onto one of the beds. Jeff sat cross-legged on the on the other one, motioning for Nick to join him, who did so, albeit apprehensively. His parents settled into the rarely used desk chairs, swiveling to face the boys. Jeff's dad fixed his gaze on Nick, inspecting every visible inch of the now-uncomfortable Warbler. Clearing his throat, Jeff played with the hem of his jeans as he spoke, voice strong, but still fearful.

"Mom, Dad…well…Nick…..is my boyfriend." His parents didn't even flinch; if anything, Nora just smiled warmer, detecting the fear radiating off the boy in waves and trying to urge him on. Ignoring the FBI-caliber scrutiny he was under, Nick twined his fingers with those that were anxiously playing with the blonde's jeans, setting their hands between them. Finally looking up at his parents, Jeff seemed to calm down a bit when he saw no disapproval. "Before you ask, I don't want to classify myself as gay, or straight, or _whatever_, I just…I just know who I love…and that person happens to be another guy. Okay?"

The first to move was Rebecca, who jumped off the bed she was on and climbed up next to her brother, sitting in his lap and facing him. The nine-year-olds' eyes were bright with happiness, which was a nice change from her usual uncontainable energy. She patted their linked hands, smiling at Nick before turning back to Jeff. "If you two like each other then you _should _be together, what's stopping you anyway?" She pretended to whisper in Jeff's ear, "Besides, we always knew you'd end up with Uncle Nicky!" Jeff hugged her tightly, breathing a laugh, taken aback at how open-minded his little sister was. Catching your brother making out with his best friend wasn't something every nine-year-old experienced, though, so it kind of made sense. Nick hugged the little girl too, kissing her forehead in thanks before sending her back to sit with her brother, who gave them a thumbs-up. Mr. Sterling shuffled in his chair, deeming it his turn to pipe up.

"Thanks for telling us, boys, I'm _certainly _glad we didn't find out _any other way, _like an _accident _or something." Jeff's eyes darted around the room awkwardly, but stopped in surprise when Nick spoke up.

"Mr. Sterling, I'm _really _sorry you had to find out like that, I mean, that's probably the _last _way either of us wanted that to go…I hope you won't hold it against me that one of us didn't come forward sooner, but I'll certainly understand if you did." Jeff could see the fear behind his boyfriend's otherwise firm gaze that was locked right on his father. Unwavering, the brunette matched the challenging gaze of Jeff's dad, hoping the one thing he wanted to convey was understood.

_I love your son._

Eventually, Mr. Sterling nodded, smiling widely at a confused Nick and extending a hand, which the brunette shook, still not sure what had changed.

"Welcome to the family, son."

Jeff let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, jumping up and hugging his dad in excitement.

"Thank you, Dad, thanks for not killing me, that really would have sucked."

Mr. Sterling held his son at arms length by his shoulders, peering as deeply into his green eyes as he'd just been doing to Nick. "Jeff, don't kid yourself, I always knew you and Duval had something. So don't go thinking I'm gonna be mad just because _you two _finally get yourselves in gear and realize it too!"

Nora slipped around the other two to hug Nick again, ruffling his hair. "We mean that, Nick, welcome to the family." Nick just nodded, not trusting himself to speak like a normal person with the emotion threatening to spill out of his body. "Justin's right, you know, we saw this coming _miles _away! I bet the rest of those Warbler boys were happy to see you two finally came to your senses, huh?"

Nick put enough sane thoughts together to respond. "Yeah, they were pretty glad; Kurt always said, so magnificently, that the tension between us was "thicker than owl snot." So yeah, they were pretty excited." Nora seemed to guess that it was sexual tension rather than just tension, but decided to not bring that up.

Mr. Sterling wrapped his arms around his petite wife from behind, gently moving her out of the way so he could look at Nick properly, for what felt like the eighth time already. "'Scuse me, darlin', I just need to talk to Nick here real quick." Justin's tone was edge-less enough, but everyone picked up on what he meant anyway. Stepping around his father, Jeff quickly took his place next to Nick again, shooting a warning glare to his dad, linking their hands together like it would protect his boyfriend somehow. Brushing off the apprehension he felt at getting this speech, the brunette smiled at the nervous boy next to him.

"It's okay, Jeff, I promise, it's not like he's gonna eat me or anything, we're just gonna talk, okay?" Breathing a laugh, Jeff turned fully to the other, tracing the very faint purple line under Nick's cheekbone from that fight so many weeks ago, whispering in his ear. "I know, and don't worry, he talks tough, but he's harmless. If I seem scared to leave you alone with him, then he'll go easier on you, so just go with it, okay?" Satisfied with the nod he got, Jeff sealed his lips to Nick's, but released him before it got awkward. Nora looked as if she was about to explode with happiness for her son as she patted the space between her and Mike on the bed. The blonde joined them, blushing under the smiling, happy expressions he was getting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his boyfriend trying to not look intimidated as Jeff's father took him to the opposite corner of the room, leaning on the windowsill.

_Damn. How did _I _get _him_? _

The memory of that awkward, nervous, and ungainly evening weeks ago rushed back to the front of his mind, making him laugh softly.

_As the door clicked shut and locked, the two sat on one of the beds facing each other, neither too sure about what to say. Eventually, Jeff broke the emptiness._

"_So….does this mean we're together now?" _

_Nick shifted awkwardly a little at the question, and the blonde kicked himself for being so forward. Thankfully, he still got an answer._

"_Um…I don't know…I mean, we could be? Ugh, scratch that, this isn't coming out right at all." Locking eyes with his friend, Nick searched the other's slightly hidden green gaze imploringly, like he was asking permission to do something. "Jeff, I need to just _say _something, is that okay?"_

Oh no, here we go…dammit, Nick, if you were _anyone _else I could do this without feeling like I'm going to detonate and my emotions are gonna just splatter all over you…but it _is _you.

_Nodding nervously, Jeff stared at the bed, letting the brunette just talk without being interrupted._

"_Jeff…I'm…I'm in love with you. And…I've known for a little while now…well, I've _realized _it for a while now…I think the guys were right, I've always loved you, and just didn't admit it to myself till recently, and now I'm rambling…"_

_Taking one of Jeff's hands, Nick stroked his fingers in an attempt to get the boy's green eyes to meet his. _

"_Jeff, please, just say something so, I know I'm not doing this all wrong?"_

_Sighing, the blonde locked his gaze on his friend's face, hoping he could say what he wanted without words. He was slightly taken aback at how scared Nick looked, despite the hope and love radiating in his dark, swirling brown eyes. _

Nick…how could you even _think_ that I don't love you too….

_The softening of the other's face was enough for Jeff to know he'd gotten the message. Still cautious, Nick pressed a kiss to the inside of the blonde's hand that he held, amazed at how warm it was. _

"_So, back to your question…are we a couple now?"_

_Apprehension and uncertainty returned to Jeff's eyes, which suddenly ducked behind his bangs again, only to have the thin hair brushed away by Nick. _

Wait…was that why _actually _kissing him made things so weird? Because we both knew we loved each other….but didn't know it at the same time? That makes sense…I think?

_Nick saw the moment of recognition amongst the apprehension and passion swirling around in the boy's eyes, and jumped on it._

"_I know…I know you're scared, and honestly, so am I…but please, Jeff, you know me…you know how much I love you …you know that I'd never hurt you…"_

_Nick's voice trailed off nervously as he realized his speech was taking a turn for the cliché, and returned to searching muddy green eyes that seemed intent on not meeting his. _

…they're always saying "live while you're young," right? I love him…I know that…I know that I'm in love with my best friend…

_Locking his eyes on Nick's once more, Jeff swallowed his emotions enough to speak. _

"_In that case…we _are _a couple now." Nick's smile reached his eyes as he leaned across the bed to hug the blonde, sighing happily into his neck. Pushing him back on a random spur of confidence, Jeff brushed his roommate's hair away from his eyes, his voice no more than a careful whisper._

"_Kiss me, Nick?"_

_Without hesitation, Nick locked his lips onto Jeff's, savoring the fact that they were indeed behind a locked door, and sober this time. They stayed like this for a few moments, memorizing the taste of each other's lips, the feel of their mouths pressed together. Not breaking the kiss, Nick shifted to they were next to each other as he cautiously went to deepen the kiss. The blonde sighed into the contact, reaching up to tangle his fingers in the barely curly hair at the base of the brunette's neck. Too soon, he felt Nick pull away, breathing a laugh at Jeff's soft noise of protest. Determined not to let him get away that easily, the blonde started kissing down Nick's jaw, smirking when the brunette let out a _very _shaky breath. _

"_And where are _you_ going, Nicky?" Jeff was unable to keep the smirk out of his voice. _

"_Mmm…I don't remember anymore…" Sliding an arm around the blonde's middle, Nick reattached their lips, pulling the other as close as possible. Humming in contentment, Jeff rested a hand on his boyfriend's chest, tracing the various lines of muscle he felt there. Again, all too soon, he felt Nick releasing him again. This time, the blonde let him, peering up through his bangs into two very dark, lust-blown eyes, a smile tugging at one corner of his lips. Nick's voice had dropped a few octaves, showing the same desire as his eyes._

"_I love you, Six."_

_The blonde grinned at his nickname, quickly kissing the other boy's nose. "I love you too, Three."_

_A pounding on their door followed by the jiggling of a doorknob made them both groan in defeat._

Well, it was only a matter of time, I guess.

"_NICK! JEFF! STOP MAKING OUT AND GET OVER HERE AND TALK TO US!"_

_Rolling his eyes, Nick turned to the door. "HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH CREEPING FOR ONE DAY, TRENT?"_

"_WELL YEAH, BUT THESE GUYS HAVEN'T!" _

_Laughing softly, Jeff poked Nick in the stomach. "Come on, let's go answer them, if we don't, they'll keep yelling stuff to the whole floor." _

"_Alright, alright…"_

_Somewhat unwillingly, the two opened the door to a handful of Warblers, who began asking questions at the same time._

"_So did Trent really lock you two in the practice room?"_

"_Did you honestly not realize you were in loooove until now?"_

"_Were you _actually_ making out? Or was that a lucky guess?"_

_The group stared at them intently, collectively becoming slightly confused as the pair in the doorway shared a mischievous look._

Oh, they'll _never _want to ask us anything ever again after this…

_Turning back to the group of blazer-clad boys, Nick and Jeff started rattling off answers, alternating who spoke every sentence, tones unnecessarily goofy and upbeat, and occasionally sarcastic._

"_Why yes, Trent, Kurt, and Wes all figured it would be helpful to shut us in the practice room until we woke up and smelled the flowers."_

"_And we'd much like to thank them for it, as it seems to have inadvertently brought all you_….lovely_ people to our doorstep."_

"_Yes, David, it _did_ take us this long to realize there was anything remotely non-platonic going on here, what with you all and your comments all the time."_

"_Oh, absolutely, we're just challenged in the head, so all that just went right under our radars."_

"_Since you _asked,_ we were not making out, but I sure as hell wanted it to go there, but then you showed up and got in the way of our fun."_

"_Yes, and also _since you asked_, once you_ leave_, we're going to get right back on that bed and-"_

_Trent's distinct voice from the left side of the gaggle cut Nick off, who just raised an eyebrow innocently. "OKAY, we get it, yeesh, we just wanted to know if you two are together yet! But, since y'all obviously hot for each other right now, we're just gonna go now before we get wrapped up in some kind of weird, undesirable sex show." A few of the boys snorted awkwardly, quickly disbanding, leaving Trent to wink at the pair before moseying away. Laughing, Jeff shut the door and leaned against it._

"_Well, that was very well done, if I do say so myself." _

_His silly façade gone in an instant, Nick put his hands on the blonde's sides, voice low as he spoke against the other boy's neck._

"_Mhmm….hey, did you really want it to go there?"_

_Explanation was unneeded as Jeff suppressed a moan, Nick's lips finding a spot below his ear. Breathless, he murmured into his boyfriend's ear._

"_Sure as hell do…"_

_In an instant, Nick's lips were attached to his again, their chests touching as they pulled impossibly closer together. Jeff laced his fingers on the brunette's neck, whose hands slowly ran up and down his sides, making him shudder. Cautiously, Nick traced the other boy's lips with his tongue, smiling internally when the action elicited a moan from the blonde. Realizing they were up against a rather thin door, Nick gently pulled the other towards the bed closest to the door, making quick work of relocating them onto the mattress._

Smiling at the memory, Jeff and his family sat on the mattress in a comfortable silence, respectfully tuning out the man-to-man that was going on across the room. Thankfully, his reminiscing had taken up most of the time they'd needed, as his boyfriend was already back at the foot of the bed, seeming to be relatively unscathed. Peering at his dad apprehensively, the blonde slid off the bed to take his place with Nick again. Justin's expression was approving, much to Jeff's relief.

"Alright, I think I've gotten my mandatory fatherly crap out of the way now…Nora, you have anything you want to say?" Mrs. Sterling gracefully climbed off the bed, standing next to her husband and smiling at the still-nervous couple.

"Just that Duval, you better stop calling me Mrs. Sterling! You're family now! Hell, you've always been like another son to me, but I can't say that now because..well, you know. We're happy for you, boys, and you better be being responsible!" She jabbed a motherly finger in her son's chest, who blushed.

"MOM! Chill, we don't do stuff like that! Geez…."

_Thanks, Mom, way to bring up sex when we've only been together for a few weeks._

Nora grinned, gathering the twins and making for the door, pausing to wink at her son. "Oh relax, Jeff, that's my _motherly _contribution. Now, we'll see you later, dears, have a nice holiday!" The small flock of blondes shuffled out the door, much to Jeff's confusion.

"Wait, what? You guys just got here, what's the rush?"

This time, Nora blushed slightly, trying to not giggle like a little girl in front of her young twins. "Oh, well, I feel like our little surprise was _interrupting _something, judging by how the lights were off and _you _were on top of my son, Duval. Don't give me any of that "you're embarrassing me" crap, either of you, because you lost the right to be humiliated when your _mother _caught you playing tonsil hockey with your best friend." Nora's stern eyes shut the pair up, but they still shuffled awkwardly. Jeff stared at his smiling mother through his bangs, hugging both his parents briefly.

"Yeah, you're right, Mom, but are you _sure_ you don't want to stay and barge in on act two?" The blonde woman and her son stared each other down, both keeping from blinking or giggling. Nick and Justin made eye contact over their heads, shrugging in confusion. Justin mouthed _They do this a lot_, and Nick nodded, raising an eyebrow at the intense staring contest. Eventually, he pulled his boyfriend back by the waist, smiling apologetically at Jeff's mother.

"Sorry, Jeff, but I don't think you want to give her that option; you know she totally would walk in on us again just to get us to stop." The two blondes laughed, but didn't deny it.

Hugging the twins goodbye, Jeff waved his family out the door, locking it again and falling back on his bed when he was sure they were gone, his feet at the headboard. Nick slid in next to him, kissing his blonde hair as he instinctively curled into the brunette's side, lazily toying with the fabric of the other's shirt.

"Well, that kind of killed the mood, didn't it?"

Nick snorted in laughter, putting an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Honestly, I think the mood was killed a _while_ ago, love."

Humming in agreement, the blonde closed his eyes and shifted so his head was further on Nick's chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat. The pulsating bass was hypnotic, and it quickly put Jeff into a sleepy trance.

"Can I go to sleep on you?"

"When have you ever asked? You always just _do,_ so go for it."

"Mmm, thanks…"

Nuzzling farther into the affectionate, welcoming warmth that was his boyfriend, Jeff continued to listen to his heartbeat until he was unconscious, which wasn't too much later.

Smiling down at the sleeping boy, Nick whispered in his ear so softly that he'd be surprised if even the blonde heard it.

"I love you, Jeff."

Not too much later, they were both asleep; facing the wrong way on the bed, but asleep nonetheless, firmly wrapped in each other's arms, one thought floating through both their subconscious.

_How did I get so lucky…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey, this one's all over the place :P hope you enjoyed it!<strong>_

_**SPECIAL MENTION for CheekyBrunette! I was having serious writer's block while working on this, and she stayed up with me until the wee hours of the morning yesterday, or the day before, somewhere around there, and helped me get through it! So THANK YOU, chica, this wouldn't be here without you!**_

_**And as always, special thanks and a cupcake for those of you who reviewed chapter five! WiseGirl-AC, hllothere, CheekyBrunette, fearofpainteddevils, glistening moon, and TheWarblersAreTOTALLYAWESOME (super cool pen name by the way….AND IT'S TOTALLY TRUE). YOU ALL ROCK AND I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY PERSON.**_

_**So yeah, please review if you liked it! Please review if you hated it! Please review if you're an alien learning to speak English, or perhaps even if you're just confused. Have an awesome day, my lovelies :)**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**So this chapter has a sexual reference in it. I don't think that's much of an issue for you lovelies, but I disclaim anyway, just trying to be politically correct :)**_

* * *

><p>A far too excitable blonde dangled his feet over a branch of the Warbler tree, as the boys had recently affectionately named it, grinning wolfishly at the disapproving brown eyes ten or so feet below him.<p>

"Oh, come on, Nicky! I told you I'd get you up here one way or another, and now that I have the boyfriend thing to dangle over you, I _know _you can't say no!"

Nick scoffed, but slowly began to realize that he was probably going to end up having a come-to-Jesus meeting with Mother Nature. Jeff wasn't usually this annoying, but it was probably due to the fact that they both knew he was right; something that happens hardly at all. "Boyfriend or no, you're actually not _that _persuasive, _blondie_, you're too goofy for anyone to take you seriously. Including me." He tried to look bored, but Jeff's contagious energy made a smile tug at a corner of Nick's mouth. The blonde couldn't see it from his vantage point.

Refusing to be shot down, Jeff made a face as he thought for a second, shuffling down towards the end of the thick branch. "Alright….well, if you _don't _join me up here, then….I won't kiss you for two weeks! No, wait, you have to get up _here_!" The blonde sprung towards a higher branch, the movement making him look like a spring. Faking offence, Nick backed up a few steps to find his rampant boyfriend, who was now lying on a branch six feet above the one he'd just been on, still grinning like a kid who was hiding from his parents.

"What? Two whole weeks? Well, in _that_ case, I better just shimmy on up there any join you! If you were _serious_, that is." Jeff pouted at the brunette's sarcasm. "Oh, don't even look at me like that, Sterling, you know you can't resist this!" Jeff pointedly licked his lips, quirking an eyebrow suggestively from his perch. "See?"

"Alright, _fine,_ I won't do anything if you don't. But I _am _gonna hang out up here until you get bored, just to piss you off. And 'cause I know you're stuck with me all day." Shifting so he was leaning against the trunk, the blonde crossed his legs in front of him, smiling down at his boyfriend smugly. Sighing in defeat, Nick looked the leafless monstrosity up and down, trying to find a good route through the branches.

_I can't believe I'm actually doing this sober…_

Hanging his jacket on one of the small, ground-level branches, Nick began awkwardly clambering up the trunk, ignoring the poorly hidden snicker that floated down whenever he'd miss a foothold and slide down a foot or two. The trees' rough surface was surprisingly warm, despite the freezing air around it. Not too much later, the brunette was pulling himself up to the branch where his boyfriend was watching, impressed. Wiping the tree bark, and various other tree-dwelling creatures, off his hands, Nick stared down at the ground, which seemed _way _too far away. Shuffling to sit next to him, Jeff broke the other out of his trance by biting his shoulder. Startled, Nick tried to jump back with a surprised yelp, but quickly remembered he was about fifteen feet up in a tree, so instead jerked farther down the branch.

"Want to fill me in on why you did that, sir?" Unhelpfully, the blonde bit his lower lip, grinning like an idiot. Following Nick down the branch, he threw his arms around the brunette's waist, putting his chin on the shoulder he'd just bitten to stare at him from the side.

"No, not really. But I _am _impressed that you actually made it up here!" Noticing the way his boyfriend peered around the tree like it was about to swallow him alive, Jeff left a kiss on his cheek before tightening his arms around his waist, burrowing into the warmth of his chest.

"Well, now that I'm up here, it doesn't actually seem too bad…other than the fact that there's this weird blonde kid up here who seems to be aging backwards before my eyes…"

"Who, me?"

"No, my invisible friend Ben over there, don't you see him?" Jeff peered around his boyfriend, pretending to look for someone. "Oh, look, you scared him away, he just fell off, see? This is what your childishness does to the invisible population of the world, love."

Faking offence, the blonde looked up at Nick through the fringe of his bangs, making his muddy green eyes much bigger than they should be. "But _you_ still love me, right, Nicky?"

Nick laughed, slinging an arm around the other's waist, his tone light. "Yes, Jeff, no matter how many invisible people you heartlessly massacre, I will still love you." Smiling, the blonde put his head back on his boyfriend's shoulder, shuffling closer on the branch as the arm around his own waist tightened. They sat like that for a few minutes, or a half an hour, neither really could tell in the weird time warp just sitting in a tree put one in. Jeff's quiet voice broke Nick out of the trance.

"Hey, Nicky? Christmas break starts next week, right?" Nick tried to meet the blonde's eyes, but they were too well hidden behind his hair. He assumed Jeff was staring as his knees, like he always did when he was nervous about something.

"Yeah, it is, why?" He kept his voice soft but gently prodding, hoping the other would ask the question he was not-so-subtly hiding, whatever it was.

"Um, I was wondering, and if you don't want to, that's cool, I mean, we've only been a _thing_ for like two months now, and I'd totally understand if you don't want to, but yeah, I'm rambling, aren't I?" Nick nodded, then realized his boyfriend was still staring nervously at his hands, and opted to kiss his hair instead, humming softly in affirmation.

"Okay, sorry….anyway, I was wondering, if maybe….you'dliketostaywithmeoverbreak?"

The last bit came out as one big nervous word, but Nick still understood. With his free hand, he turned the blonde to face him, amusement creeping into his expression at the unadulterated fear flicking behind dark green eyes. "_Yes_, Jeff, I'd love to stay with you." Relief replaced the fear in his gaze, and Nick found himself being pulled in for a short kiss soon after. Releasing him, Jeff grinned widely as the prospect of spending the whole week with his boyfriend set in.

"Awesome…my family's going to Tennessee the whole week to visit my mom's sister, which I thought was weird, 'cause they were just there for Thanksgiving, as we found out, and they said I could bring you, 'cause Bobbi really wants to meet you, that's my mom's sister, 'cause apparently my family can't keep secrets worth crap, and – what?" Nick's raised eyebrow and amused expression cut him off mid-sentence.

"Oh, nothing, you're just rambling again. Which is actually super funny, but I wasn't sure how many words you'd have left that make sense." Jeff opened his mouth to retaliate, but Nick kept talking before he could launch another verbal dump. "_Before_ you start again, I don't care where we go, so don't feel like you need to give me an FBI-level background on everyone that's gonna be there, okay?" The blonde nodded, happily smiling. Quickly kissing his forehead, Nick looked down at the ground again, noticing that the branches seemed to have moved into a horribly inconvenient pattern since he'd climbed them, making descent seem like a very challenging prospect.

"So, how're we gonna get down from here?"

* * *

><p>A week later, a monsoon of identically dressed, stir-crazy boys frantically flooded towards the festively decorated living halls. Many of the windows had traditional Christmas wreaths, but some held the Star of David, or some other religious symbol. Even if the holidays of other faiths weren't exactly around Christmas, the boys still put up their own symbols around now because they were too lazy to remember when the actual dates were. It kept things different, anyway, and different was good when you went to a school where everyone was the same gender and wore the same thing.<p>

Jeff torpedoed into their room, leaping onto his bed in a way that suggested he thought he was a flying squirrel. Violently colliding with the mattress, the momentum sent him bouncing up a few feet, allowing him to flip over in the air, sprawling his limbs out to the side and grinning widely at the ceiling. His roommate followed, albeit calmer, not even bothering to suppress his laughter.

"Not gonna lie, Jeff, I love the freedom of breaks as much as the next guy, but was the airborne rodent impression really necessary?" Nick managed to find his words once his boyfriend had stopped bouncing up and down on the mattress, pushing himself high enough to flip each time. It really was much more comical than it should have been. Springing off the side of the bed, the blonde barreled into his roommate, laughing at the surprised yelp as they staggered around the room, trying to catch their balance, but failing as they stepped on one another.

"Yes, it was, thank you for asking! Now hurry up, we're leaving in like, twenty minutes."

"Yeah, I'd love to get stuff together and all that, but we're still kind of lumping around here, and _you_ have successfully pinned my arms down." Nick tried to be serious as he managed to free himself enough to actually look at his captor, but Jeff was way too ecstatic for anyone to be remotely serious.

"Oh, yeah…good! Nicky's my hostage now!" Jeff jumped into a corner as fluidly as he could, still keeping the brunette trapped in his grip. The mock seriousness on the blonde's face reminded Nick of a bad James Bond. Unhelpfully, he slumped into his boyfriend's grip, successfully knocking him into the wall and surprising him enough so Nick could slip away. Grinning at Jeff's surprise, he darted back, swinging a desk chair in front of him as a blocker, a playful smirk creeping onto one side of his mouth. Quickly figuring out what just happened, the childish glint came back to the blonde's eyes. He tried to race around the chair and take his hostage back, but Nick turned the chair as he went, keeping it between them. They danced around like that for a good while, laughter occasionally sneaking out of one of their mouths. Eventually, Jeff gave up on getting around the chair, and leapt onto it, swiveling around and grabbing his roommate around the waist again in one motion, giggling like his little sister.

"Ha! Got you again, Nicky, now you're stuck with me!" Jeff continued to giggle like a little girl as Nick wrenched his arms free. Quickly snatching the hands that were pinning him to the blonde, Nick spun them around and pinned his boyfriend against the wall, both of them still grinning and giggling like they were seven years younger. Their momentary immaturity was highlighted by the fact that their faces were not even two inches apart, and all they were thinking about was who was winning their little fight.

"I win." Nick's brown eyes shone triumphantly, and he laughed softly at the slight pout of defeat that slid onto the blonde's face. Suddenly realizing the position they were in, the brunette blushed slightly, hoping the half-darkness of the room would hide it. Jeff just continued to peer up at his boyfriend through the fringe of his bangs, dark green eyes contrasting his mock sadness with their jovial twinkling.

_Damn, I'm about to go spend a whole week with _him_? Outside of this school? When did that happen…_

Jeff could see the focus slip away from his captor's eyes, but it wasn't enough to free his arms, much to his dismay. Slumping back against the wall, a smirk spread onto his face as he saw Nick's eyes absentmindedly wander down to his lips.

_You're really not good at knowing where you're looking, are you, Nicky? _

Leaning forward to shorten the already tiny distance between them, the blonde brushed his slightly parted lips against Nick's for not even a second, smiling when he heard the other's breath hitch softly. Whispering against his boyfriend's mouth, keeping his own lips tantalizingly close, they both seemed to forget they'd left the door wide open in the sudden atmosphere change.

"Like what you see, Duval?"

Slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring, but too distracted to really care, the only response Nick could come up with was to seal his mouth to Jeff's, releasing the blonde's arms to bring him closer by the waist. Internally smirking again, Jeff ran his hands up the brunette's chest, clasping them loosely behind his neck, backing up so they were more firmly against the wall. Not allowing the kiss to get too terribly raunchy, Nick pulled back and began experimentally trailing his lips along the blonde's jaw and down his neck. Unfortunately, the two were so lost in each other that they didn't hear a loud voice parading down the hall until its owner was standing in the door. Trent yelped in surprise; he'd been texting on his way to their room and was totally oblivious to the goings on through the open door. Hiding a snort at Nick's humiliation and Jeff's obvious exasperation, Trent kept his expression as one of shock.

_Hm, I guess I _have _been walking in on them a lot lately….gotta work on that…_

"Um, were you two gonna have wall sex? Or am I misreading the way blondie here was pinned against the plaster?" The pair blushed, Jeff leaning farther down against the wall and Nick shuffling his feet awkwardly, both muttering about how it wasn't what it looked like. "I knew it! You two are totally getting it on already, I WAS RIGHT!" A triumphant grin took over the Warbler's shocked expression as he turned and barreled back down the hallway, shouting loudly to the abnormally busy dorm building as he went. "WES, THAD, FLINT, I WAS SO RIGHT, NIFF IS HAVING WALL SEX AS WE SPEAK! GET THE CAMERA!"

His Paul Revere-esque sprint made most of the floor laugh, and a few boys peered inside the room, confused. Thankfully, most of the students were too engrossed in their packing endeavors to care about what one of the Warblers could be screaming as he traipsed down the hall at high velocity.

Somewhat confused at his last sentence, Nick and Jeff turned to each other with almost identical expressions of confusion.

"Niff?"

"Get the camera?"

"I don't think we'll ever understand what does or does _not_ go on inside his mind."

Shaking his head and laughing softly, somewhat in disbelief, Jeff kicked the door shut, giving an over-animated salute to the few who were still peeping in. Familiar arms slid around his waist, which he gladly leaned into, loving the warm feeling that inevitably spread through his whole body whenever he was hugged from behind. The soft voice in his ear wasn't the same sultry, low tone as before, but it still caused his breath to shake a wee bit.

"C'mon, we actually need to put some stuff together, your mom said she'd be here in….ten minutes."

_SHIT, right, leaving with Nick for the week, that's happening now._

"Oh, yeah, crap, we really wasted some time, didn't we?" Jeff extricated himself from the embrace, albeit reluctantly, and went to dig his old, previously red, duffel bag out of their closet. He heard Nick sigh a little when he left the other boy's grip, but it was soon replaced by a small laugh.

"Well, I wouldn't call it wasted _per se….._"

Jeff rolled his eyes, throwing his boyfriend's bag at him and slapping him on the butt on his way by, laughing as he almost fell face first into one of the beds.

"Just watch it, Duval, we're gonna be spending a whole week, _uninterrupted, _with my parents, siblings, and _Bobbi_."

"Well, I don't mind the uninterrupted part…."

Looking incredulously through the fringe of his bangs at Nick, who was innocently shoving clothes into his bag, Jeff tossed a shoe across the room, which collided soundly with the side of his face.

"OW! What was that for?"

Expertly dodging the shoe as it made its return voyage, Jeff glared at the smirking face watching him from the other side of their dorm.

"Just promise me you won't be all…." he gestured vaguely in the air, "_horny_, or whatever, in front of Bobbi, _please?_" Jeff tried to pull his best kicked-puppy face, but was distracted by a knock at the door, scampering over to get it. Nick laughed to himself at the blonde's microscopic attention span, and his uncanny ability to nearly hit himself in the face with the door. Both qualities seemed to be in full swing. The door swung open to allow a somewhat cautious Nora into the room, who made an entrance by grabbing her son into a vicious, yet still affectionate, hug. Ruffling his bright hair, she picked her way through the war zone that was their floor with ease towards Nick, clearly showing that she was indeed the mother of an unorganized teenage boy. Kicking a tie out of the way with the heel of her shoe, she gripped Nick in the same bone-crushing embrace her son had just gotten, messing with his hair the same way. Standing back, the little lady kept her grip on Nick's shoulders, narrowing her eyes to stare into his inquisitively. A little confused, the brunette thought he could see amusement flickering around behind her otherwise serious eyes.

"Well, Nick, I heard the word _horny _slipping out of my son's room from out there, in what I think was his voice, so I figured now would be a good time to make my entrance, hm?" Nick felt an embarrassed heat climb into his face under Mrs. Sterling's soul-baring gaze and Brooklyn accent.

_Oh, awesome, she thinks we were doing something before she showed up. I'm just having all kinds of luck with his parents, aren't I?_

"Oh, yeah, well, if it makes you feel any better, he was saying about me, not about himself?" Nora raised an eyebrow, and Jeff actually facepalmed behind her. Realizing what he just said, Nick turned an even deeper shade of red, eyes darting around the room for help. "No, wait, that's not what I meant…"

"Oh shut it, Duval, I'm just messing with you! Sure is fun, though." She patted his cheek fondly before plopping down on the bed that had an empty corner, laughing at the _What just happened? _look the boys exchanged. Jeff dropped his mostly packed bag at the foot of the other bed, rolling his eyes at his mother as he laced his fingers with Nick's.

"Yeah, ha ha ha, Mom, hilarious."

Nora grinned wider, bouncing a little bit and winking at her son before gesturing randomly at the disarray and half-assembled travel bags randomly located throughout the dorm. "Alright, c'mon, boys, we gotta leave in….T-minus five minutes ago if we want to make it to Tennessee before dinner, now hurry up!" Automatically, the two broke into their quick packing mode; it was something all the Warblers had after more than one year with Wes in charge. Impromptu excursions to god-only-knows-where over the years had given them all the uncanny ability to pack enough stuff for a week in under five minutes, even Kurt. Sure enough, in two minutes flat, the three were weaving through the chaos of identically dressed boys, hoping to make it to Nora's truck without getting run over by anyone. Nick and Jeff were just praying that they didn't see any Warblers, for risk of having the incident with Trent brought up again. The accusation of having sex with the door open wasn't high on Jeff's list of things to talk about with or around his mother. Thankfully, they made it to the black pickup without any of their rarely dapper friends making an appearance. Mrs. Sterling jumped up behind the wheel, motioning for the boys to put their stuff in the back as she started the engine. Wordlessly, they dropped the tailgate and tossed their stuff in, not bothering to try to talk over the total mayhem in the now-crowded visitor's parking lot.

Moving to get in the car, Nick felt a gentle hand on his arm, turning him around. Shifting so they were out of sight of the rearview mirror, Jeff closed the distance between them effortlessly, his hands resting softly on the brunette's hips as their lips met, sweet, and totally different from what they had been walked in on doing. Sighing contentedly, Nick tangled a hand in soft blonde hair, the other fiddling with his boyfriends' belt loops. The sputter of the truck's engine reluctantly brought them back to Earth a second later. Pulling back to look the blonde in the eye, Nick smiled when he saw the familiar affectionate spark behind the dark green surface. Opening his mouth to say something, Jeff was cut off by an impatient horn from the cockpit of the truck. Rolling his eyes at his mother, who was watching through the mirror that they hadn't done too good a job of avoiding, the blonde wrapped his boyfriend into a quick hug. Nick smiled at Mrs. Sterling's intrusiveness; it would be annoying if she wasn't such a lovable little lady, much like her son's goofiness.

_Well, I guess we don't have to wonder where he got it from…_

"C'mon, Six, we have to go, your mom's getting impatient."

Reluctantly, the blonde released him, sending another death glare his mother's way. Laughing at their dynamic, Nick left a kiss on the other boy's forehead, brushing his bright hair out of his eyes.

"Let's go, we're already late, and we're gonna be spending the _whole _week together…remember?" Nick grinned up playfully at his boyfriend, who had a similar expression of excitement.

"Alright, fine, I'll just…tell you what I was gonna say later!" Winking, the blonde linked their fingers together as they climbed into the back of the truck; the twins were already thoroughly conked out in the front seat. Confused, Nick raised an eyebrow at the blonde, who was snickering childishly at his little game.

"Wait, what were you gonna tell me?"

Nora hushed them, pointing at the kids curled up on top of each other in the shotgun seat, mouthing _I just got them to sleep, shut up._ Biting back another chortle, Jeff leaned over to whisper in the brunette's ear, obviously enjoying the game he was playing.

"You heard the lady, Nicky, we wouldn't want to wake the kids…looks like you'll just have to wait and be curious 'til tonight!"

Rolling his eyes, Nick slung an arm around the blonde's waist, pinning him to his side as the truck rolled out of the gravel lot and out to the long, straight road that led to civilization.

"I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, you do, but what fun would I be if you just loved me all the time?" Jeff burrowed into his boyfriend's torso, like he'd done countless times before, yawning as the rumbling of the truck turned into a hypnotic white noise.

"Mmm, that's true…" Nick laughed into the blonde's hair as he yawned again. "Go to sleep, love, I'll wake you when we get there."

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><p>Two hours later, Nora pulled into a gas station, realizing that even with two crazy nine year old twins and the goober couple in the backseat, the truck had been surprisingly quiet. Turning around to see if the boys wanted to get any food while they were stopped, she quickly cut herself off when she saw they were both fast asleep. She'd just assumed Nick was staring out the window or something after Jeff had passed out, but instead, they were wrapped up around each other, thoroughly unconscious. Smiling at their almost unnecessary sweetness, she quickly snapped a picture with her phone, sending it and a photo of the twins, who were similarly sleeping on each other, to her husband.<p>

_To: Justin Sterling – First time in nine years all the kids have been asleep at once…aren't they cute? :)_

The gas pump began filling the truck's massive tank as her phone buzzed with a reply.

_From: Justin Sterling – Yeah, the twins are adorable. Bobbi saw the pictures too, and says she's going to be extra hard on "that scruffy city boy" who's with Jeff :P Can't say I blame her…_

_To: Justin Sterling – Oh, hush you! Nick's like another son to us, she won't be that vicious….right?_

_From: Justin Sterling – She says "I'll be as vicious as I damn well please…." I'm gonna go with no?_

A click signaling the tank was full brought Nora back to Earth. She closed everything up, replaced the gas hose, and jumped back in the car. She literally had to jump; the truck was tall and she was unfortunately diminutive in stature.

_To: Justin Sterling – Thanks, dear. We'll be there in an hour or so, try to convince Bobbi to go easy on him? I don't think Jeff would like it very much if we scared away his boyfriend._

_From: Justin Sterling – Nora, this is Bobbi, and I'm gonna treat this boy like everyone else who comes through here, so don't get your pretty little Brooklyn panties in a bunch. Just get them here, I'll take the boyfriend when you do, and you'll get him back when I'm done. Can't have Jeff running around with some knock-kneed city slug, now can we?_

_To: Justin Sterling – Alright, alright, you can have them. Just try not to kill them, please? I have to drive now, see you in an hour._

Shaking her head with a quiet laugh at her sister's antics, Nora rolled out of the gas station, glad the rumbling of the tires was enough to keep her offspring sound asleep. She couldn't help but worry a little for Nick; Bobbi was inherently harmless, she was pretty sure of that, but she always came across as harsh and relentless.

_Just comes with the territory of being old, I guess…she's not that much older than me though, and I'm not old! Oh, whatever, yes, I'm old, but she acts it. Nick will survive her, though, if the way they're sleeping has any correlation…_

Mrs. Sterling drove the rest of the way enjoying her peace, startling out of her thoughts when one of the sleepers would mumble something. Rebecca started murmuring about how Mike was stealing her oatmeal and taking it back to Saturn, which was actually an interesting story to listen to. A half hour or so before they were due to arrive, she heard her sons' voice, which she assumed she wasn't supposed to from the way he was murmuring. A quick glance in the rearview mirror told her that Jeff was awake, but just sitting there, tracing random lines across his boyfriends' stomach. The mutter that brought her back to reality repeated a moment later, and she could actually understand it this time.

"I love you, Nicky…."

Mrs. Sterling smiled, forcing herself to stare straight ahead and not ruin the moment.

_They're gonna be just fine._

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><p><em><strong>Hey! It's me again :) I know it's been an obscenely long time since I posted, and I do apologize, my lovelies :( I'd share the story why, but y'all probably aren't too interested in that.<strong>_

_**THANK YOU! To those who reviewed the last chapter: Klainebowsandniff, CheekyBrunette,WiseGirl-AC, NifftellaxElla, and cArLySTAR15! I love you all for your feedback :)**_

_**ALSO, thank you to anyone who took the time to read! I love having an audience, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy that people like the weird happenings of my mind :) oh, and please do drop a review and let me know what you thought! The button's so close….and so lonely… ;)**_

_**Enjoy life, my darlings :)**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry, lovelies, this one is super short, 'cause if I didn't cut it off where I did, this chapter may have been up to 10,000 words, which is TOO crazy.**_

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><p>The bumpy transition from a paved road to gravel woke Nick some time later. Blinking a few times hazily and peering out the window, he eventually remembered where he was.<p>

_I'm on my way to spend the entire Christmas break with my boyfriend. The whole thing. In some remote horse farm in Tennessee. With his super awesome family. _

The realization sent a warm feeling through his person and a stupidly happy grin to his face, which he hid in the blonde hair that was tickling his chin. Humming softly in greeting, Jeff shifted so his mouth wasn't aimed right into the brunette's sternum.

"G'morning…are we there? I'd look around, but I'm comfy down here." Assuming the twins were asleep, seeing as the car was still peaceful, Jeff kept his voice to a whisper.

"No, not quite there yet, and it's not morning, but we're on a gravel road, and I've only seen people in tractors for a few miles, so probably pretty close." The smile was evident in Nick's voice, even at a whisper. Chuckling quietly at the brunette's excitement, Jeff fixed himself so he was firmly wrapped up against his boyfriend again; he'd slid around considerably during the drive.

"What are _you _so happy about, Nicky? You're going from an Ohio prep school to the capital of Hicktown in Tennessee, and it's not like this is some kind of touristy capital either." The blonde was unable to keep his own little half-smile out of his tone, which could only grow wider when Nick's arm tightened around his waist, and his other hand found Jeff's, locking their fingers together like it was second nature.

"I know, I know, I just…..I really love you right now, that's all." His voice trailed off slightly at the end as he buried his face farther into the soft blonde mop, breathing in the slight, nameless smell of his boyfriend's bright hair.

Jeff's eyes sprung open at Nick's words, a cozy feeling spreading through his body rapidly from somewhere that he guessed was in his chest. Shifting again so he could sit upright, the blonde took his hand back and rested it on the side of Nick's face, his thumb running over a cheekbone, their foreheads resting together. The brunette's eyes slid closed as his boyfriend's lips ghosted over his skin as he spoke. His voice was still quiet, but the near-silent tone still betrayed everything he was feeling perfectly. "I'm really glad you decided to come with us…I really love you too, Nicky."

Smiling again at the blonde's uncharacteristically emotional tone, Nick gently brought their lips together, still trying to stay silent so Jeff's mom or little siblings wouldn't catch them yet _again_.

"Boys, my rearview mirror's pointed _right _at you."

Sighing in defeat, Nick pulled away so their foreheads rested together. Jeff glared at his mother out of the corner of his eye, but made no attempt towards moving. When Nora's alternating glance fixed on the road, Nick quickly murmured "_Later_" in his boyfriends' ear before sitting upright like a normal person. Blushing profusely, Jeff hid his face in the brunette's chest, peering up through the sandy edge of his bangs, unable to disguise his silent laughter.

"_Really?_"

Nick just winked in response, earning more giggles and a darker blush from the blonde.

Thankfully, the twins came to consciousness, gradually of course, but their listening ears kept Jeff or his mother from saying anything remotely suggestive. Rebecca clambered off her brother, rubbing her eyes sleepily and looking out the window, cringing as the sharp glare of the beginning of a sunset glared her in the face. Shortly thereafter, she began bouncing excitedly, poking her brother, who was much less adept at waking up than she.

"Mikey, Jeffy, look, we're here!"

Still swallowing his embarrassed giggles, Jeff peeled himself away from his boyfriend to force his sister back into her chair. Sitting the twins down next to each other, he fastened the seat belt over them in an attempt to contain their overzealous excitement. Rebecca pouted, her large eyes pleading to be let go. Her brother was considerably less distraught over their restraint. Unfortunately, seat belts stretch, allowing them to stay relatively rampant, a property Rebecca quickly figured out.

The truck quickly approached a large, cast iron gate, and looking past it, Nick could see the mysterious dwelling of the rest of Jeff's family. Just inside the bars, a small, two-story house stood peacefully. A few dogs were sound asleep under a pine tree, not even bothering to look up when the truck rumbled up closer and closer. Past the house was an enormous structure that Nick assumed was the barn. The broad brown side faced the road, so seeing inside was impossible, but it looked huge. Starting a few yards past the house, smaller areas, separated by crude, yet sturdy, plank fences, sprouted out of the iron that surrounded the property. There were three such areas that Nick could make out from the road; two that had horses aimlessly milling around, and one that was too far away to see definitive details.

Mrs. Sterling pulled up to a small box next to the gate, rolling down a window and pressing a large blue button. On cue, the gates swung open, reminding Nick of a drawbridge being lowered to a castle. His internal musings were distracted by Jeff leaning back against him, speaking quietly into his ear.

"Before you say how impressive that whole thing is, you should know that we got the actual gate from when a tornado blew through here a few years ago. My dad found it one morning sticking out of the ground, and no one claimed it, so we put it to good use. Oh, and the opener button thingy we made out of old TV and remote control parts."

Rebecca whipped around in her chair, grabbing the armrest and pulling the belt tight across her sleepy brother, who only made a half-hearted attempt at moving the belt from across his face.

"I remember that summer, Jeffy! I always wanted to help, but Daddy said I'd cut my hands off with those super big saws you had."

"Well, you probably would have! You were too little to carry them, and Daddy just wanted to make sure you both lived to the age of six. I think that was pretty nice of him."

Nick and Nora both chuckled at the exchange between Jeff and his little brother, Nora because she remembered the days, Nick because his boyfriend seemed to have no trouble transitioning between the immature mind of a nine-year-old and his seventeen-year-old self.

The gates clicked shut behind the truck, surprisingly quiet. Nora pulled the truck in next to the house, and a golden retriever and her puppies poked their heads out from behind it. Squealing, the twins unwrapped themselves from the seatbelt and all but fell out of the car, rushing to play with the puppies. The mother looked hesitantly at her babies with the twins, sighing as she trotted over to the driver's side door, which swung open soon thereafter.

"Lindy! I didn't know you had your puppies already! Come on up here, give Mommy a hug!" Nora patted her lap, and the big dog leapt into it, curling into the little woman's embrace.

_I wonder if their whole family is this good with animals…_

Jeff nudged Nick impatiently, gesturing vaguely for him to get out of the truck. The telltale spark in his now bright green eyes was back, marking imminent immaturity or a perpetual supply of energy. Laughing, the brunette slid out the side of the truck, instantly noticing the different smell of the place. It was a mixture of dirt, mud, manure, grass, and what was assumed to be horse food, and it was actually pretty relaxing, once one tuned out the odor of organic waste. Sighing deeply, Jeff took in the smell like it was alcohol, closing his eyes and smiling softly. It was a peculiar sight; the blonde was obviously at home here, and it seemed that Dalton couldn't even compare at this point. Peace radiated off of him just as much as his often child-like energy did. Just as quickly as it had come, however, the momentary tranquility dissipated as a puppy darted under the truck, crashing into Jeff's legs and breaking him out of his trance. Batting at his nose in confusion, the little dog slipped back under the truck, clearly not sure as to how he'd even gotten over there in the first place. Blinking, Jeff quickly re-registered where he was, grinning devilishly, and maybe a little nervously, as he looked between the barn and his boyfriend. Before Nick could say anything, the blonde grabbed one of his hands and all but towed him towards the huge building, laughing at the brunette's confused yelp.

"Oh, don't worry, Nicky, there's just someone who wants to meet you…"

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><p><em><strong>HAY Y'ALL. So. This is super duper bad that my writing speed has decreased EXPONENTIALLY. Like, that makes me sad on the inside…sorry. I'd share my life story and all that crap, but all you lovelies really wanna know is that I'd like to place Trigonometry under arrest for theft of time, energy, and brain cells. That is all.<strong>_

_**So next chapter will be meeting the mysterious senior citizen, the interrogative grandma, the old lady who strikes fear into the hearts of significant others everywhere….BOBBI. I'm super excited to write her, not gonna lie. **_

_**As always….SUPER MEGA UBER LOVE TO ALL YOU LADIES AND/OR GENTS WHO REVIEWED THE LAST CHAPTER! Today we have…TheWarblersAreTOTALLYAWESOME, KlaineRomance, ClicheRoses, CheekyBrunette, caramarie1918, NifftellaxElla, glistening moon, and WiseGirl-AC. I love that I can now program my spell check to recognize some of y'alls names 'cause you review EVERY TIME and I give you kudos EVERY TIME! I love that you haven't given up on me :D **_

_**So, until next time, don't be afraid to fry some dirt, yell at a public official, kiss an ostrich, give a pie to a band director, and pee with the door open. I leave you with those words of wisdom. **_

_**(oh, and if you please, review! :) )**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**HOLY OF HOLIES, BATMAN! OH. MY. WORD. It's been so long. Like, I don't remember if I gave a timeline for my return in the author's note that used to be here, but holy piñata. **_

_**But, in the words of Next to Normal, I'M ALIVE! Also, I must warn you, this chapter was written in two parts at two very different times. I think I ironed out any seams that may have existed, but yeah.**_

_**Also, **_**CHEEKYBRUNETTE. _Thank you for being my sounding board! If you're not sick of me yet, I'd love to get your input on how to proceed and all that. But y'all, this girl has been such a good help. GO READ HER STORIES. _**

_**IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE BACK. :D**_

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><p>"Oh, don't worry, Nicky, there's just someone who wants to meet you…"<p>

Allowing himself to be dragged towards the barn, which seemed to grow substantially bigger as they got closer, Nick felt a little bit of worry creeping up in his stomach. It'd been there all through the car ride as he thought about what might or might not go down when they arrived. He figured that meeting Bobbi was inevitable, as was encountering the rest of Jeff's family, but he was hoping to put if off just a little bit longer than five minutes after just about falling out of the truck. The twins weren't even done playing with the dogs before they took off, and nine-year olds aren't known for their particularly long attention spans.

Before he could put up any kind of protest, however, the brunette found himself barreling around the side of the barn, being yanked to a civilized walking speed when they came into what would be the view of other humans. Jeff may be crazy with the mind of a five-year old, but at least he knew how to act in public.

Usually.

Looking around somewhat nervously, Nick took in the spacious interior of the barn. Heavy wooden half-doors lined each side of the hallway, some with horses poking their heads out, some gnawing on the wood, adding to the numerous teeth and hoof marks that dotted a majority of the doors. One particularly old horse on the right was sound asleep, resting his large black head on the junction of the door and the wall. He really couldn't have been more unsophisticated; his tongue hung halfway out the side of his mouth, and that coupled with the half-opened boredom of his eyes was actually pretty funny. The animals that were awake snapped their attention to the pair as they skittered up to the doorway, their ears locking on the boys like rifle crosshairs. A few doors down on the right, a golden-yellow horse with a white mane had an especially unnerving stare; one of his eyes was bright blue. Thankfully, he seemed uninterested enough to not scour them with the inquisitive orb, and soon retreated back behind his door. The horse looked at them with a familiar attitude, but Nick couldn't quite place who it reminded him of. He was just glad the animal had retreated before the blue eye started to get creepy.

A few other people milled around, carrying buckets, leather equipment that Nick didn't recognize, or a coil of rope. They didn't pay the two much mind, but an elderly man who noticed their tightly linked fingers tipped his hat to them with a warm smile. Jeff grinned back, slightly squeezing his boyfriend's hand. Once they passed him, the blonde quickly whispered in Nick's ear.

"Okay, if memory serves me right, she's gonna be at the end of _that _hall right there," he pointed down a hallway that stemmed off the main one at a ninety degree angle, housing a _very _dusty desk, random pencils, some half-eaten apples, and a shoe. "and she's gonna come off real strong, just don't let her intimidate you, she's harmless, I swe-"

"JEFFREY STERLING!" Nick jumped at the woman's booming voice, earning a snicker from the blonde. "C'mere, give Aunt Bobbi a hug!" Jeff took his hand back from Nicks', wrapping the short lady in what was sure to be a bone-crushing embrace. Their greeting gave Nick a moment to inspect the woman, who in his mind had been built up to be no less than a social guillotine. She had the same frame as Jeff's mom; slight, but sturdy. Bobbi was more muscled than Nora, no doubt from working with two-ton animals all day, and she was dirtier, but the resemblance was still there. She wore somewhat form-fitting jeans, which had a clearly homemade strap of duct tape keeping them from riding up over her ankle-high, cracked leather boots. When she released her nephew, Nick could see that she and Mrs. Sterling had almost the exact same facial features, so similar to the point where they could be mistaken for twins. Her faded Kentucky Derby sweatshirt had a number of mysterious stains all over it, the origins of which one could only guess. In some places, the green and brown swirled together in a way that would almost be artistic, if it didn't look like the marks came from the bowels of a cat.

_Well, considering where we are, that's not entirely out of the question…._

Ruffling Jeff's hair, she smiled sweetly at him before fixing her bright green gaze on Nick, who tried to hold himself proudly, but was quickly withering under the nerves her inspecting stare elicited. The woman's eyes raked him up and down, not suggestively, but thorough enough to scare you with what she could be thinking. Her sweet, aunt-like eyes for her nephew were gone in a flash, quickly replaced by the scrutiny Nick was feeling quite thoroughly. Jeff's eyes flicked curiously between the two as if he was trying to decide which one would speak first.

"SO. YOU'RE the one who thinks he can date MY nephew?" Nick forced himself not to move an inch as she stepped closer, intimidatingly, as she spoke. Her thunderous voice rang out through the barn, but it seemed everyone was used to her bullhorn-caliber vocal cords, not even blinking twice. "WELL, if you asked ME, I'd say that you just seem like some little prep school boy chasing after this blonde hottie because there aren't ANY girls at that Dalton school of yours, RIGHT?" Nick narrowed his eyes, not breaking the eye contact. Thankfully, she didn't seem angry, or disapproving, just yet, but conversely, he couldn't find any signs of approval. The way she was expertly searching him made him think she was just looking for a reaction. "WELL, _Nicholas, _if I EVER find out that that's the case, or you even THINK about just _using _him, or ANYTHING like that, then I'm warning you RIGHT now. I will PERSONALLY drive to Ohio, _find_ you, and wreak ALL KINDS of sweet hell on your pretty little life. DO YOU WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?"

They were just about nose to nose at this point, and Bobbi wasn't as far below Nick as her sister was, making her threats much more poignant. Still determined to not cave to her, the brunette forced his fear away to speak.

"Yes, ma'am."

At the two semi-confident words, the woman's pursed lips extended in a grin, and her bright eyes finally showed a degree of approval. "Well DONE, Nick, you're the first one to not bow down and start making excuses for himself!" She turned to Jeff, who had stuffed his hands in his pockets and started drawing in the dirt with the toe of his shoe, trying to appear uninvolved. "You can keep this one, Jeff, if he can stand up to _me, _then he can hang out with us for at least a little while longer. Just wait 'til he meets the rest of the family to get too serious, though, you know how _my _man can sometimes send people runnin' for the hills!" She let out a laugh loud enough to put a dinosaur to shame at the blonde's obvious "_oh, crap_" face, apparently realizing there were more family hoops for his boyfriend to jump through. Patting his cheek affectionately, Bobbi winked at Nick before sauntering away towards one of the fields, her boots digging firmly into the dirt. Once she was out of earshot, Nick wrapped an arm around Jeff's waist, steering him back down the aisle of the barn, feeling very pleased with himself.

"You know, she wasn't nearly as abusive as she said she would be, maybe bringing me to meet your family _isn't _going to be the catastrophe you seem to think it will be?"

The blonde blinked a few times, startling out of his thoughts, but he still looked mildly concerned. "Oh, it's not _you _I'm worried about, it's…_them_." He said the last word with such a cringe that, out of context, Nick would have thought he was talking about a heap of parrot droppings. "You know my parents and the twins…but there's three brothers you haven't met, and they're dumb enough to give rednecks down _here_ a bad rep. D'you know how hard it is to give someone a bad rep in their own motherland? It would be impressive to watch, if I wasn't _related _to them."

"Well, in that case, I guess I better get ready to meet some interestingly talented people then, huh?" Nick laughed at the pitiful face the blonde was pulling, which only served to make the puppy-dog factor increase. "Oh come on, Six, don't panic, I lived in Texas 'til I was five with t-"

Apparently, whatever was going to come out of Nick's mouth wasn't supposed to, as he cut himself off mid-word to rephrase.

"Yeah, I lived in Texas 'til I was five, I'm pretty sure my preschool was _run_ by those kinds of people. Just chill, I promise you won't die or anything, okay?"

Jeff nodded, his concerns slightly mollified, and quickly pressed his lips to Nick's, relishing the fact that he could do that without anyone shouting crap at them. The kiss was meant to be fleeting and unobtrusive, but just as they separated, a firm nose to Nick's backside sent them stumbling towards the opposite wall, yelping in surprise. As they tried to untangle themselves, suddenly feeling _very_ obtrusive, a satisfied snort sounded from the same direction the nose had come from, followed by another nose sticking itself between them. Nick was _very _confused, not to mention disoriented, and the laugh coming from his boyfriend didn't do anything to help matters make sense.

After a few seconds of staggering around seeing nothing that made any sense, they managed to find which way was up and separate themselves, Jeff still laughing at the nose prodding him in the side. Across the aisle, a brown horse had the same goofy expression as the other, and if they were human, they would have almost certainly been smiling. Giggling and jumping back, Jeff swatted the horses' muzzle away, shooing it back behind the door. Once the intrusive presence was put away, he yelled across the barn at his aunt, his voice carrying surprisingly well, who was coming back with a large, grey spotted horse.

"BOBBI! YOU PUT INJUN AND TWISTER ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER JUST FOR US, DIDN'T YOU?"

Bobbi's raucous laugh rang out again. "OF COURSE I DID, BLONDIE, AND YOU NOTICED, WHICH MEANS THEY WORKED!"

Jeff suppressed more laughter as he turned to his boyfriend, who had an expression of confusion, primarily, and a dash of "_what the hell is going on here?_" for good measure. Wrapping his arms around the brunette's waist, he moved them a step back, kissing him fully, again, before explaining. The laughter still wove through his tone as his eyes switched between the horses, and Nick couldn't help but grin at the blonde's perpetual merriment, which spilled over into his voice.

"Yeah, Twister and Injun were put at different ends of this place because they decided it would be fun to do _that _whenever two people walked between them. Twister," he pointed to the brown horse, "shoves you over to Injun," the yellow one snorted at his name, bobbing his head up and down, "who shoves his nose in _just _to keep you off your feet. I promise, it's hilarious to watch, we'll have to make them get my parents before we leave." Jeff slid out of his boyfriend's embrace to stand by Injun, whose ears pointed straight at him, rubbing his large nose against the blonde's chest, making him laugh. It wasn't a normal laugh, though, it was less forced, and substantially freer than any sound he'd made at Dalton. It was clear, and pure almost to the point of being musical.

_New mission; find a way to make him feel like this back home…well, at Dalton, I guess _this _is home for him…_

"I've been with Injun since I was six, I think, he was born the same day I was, so when he was all grown up and trained, Bobbi gave him to me. She said something about how he reminded her of me, or something like that, I don't really remember 'cause I was six." Jeff's voice dwindled as he spoke, giving the impression that he was talking more to himself or the horse.

Nick leaned against the wall on the other side of Injun's door, trying not to interrupt the blonde's reunion with his horse. The way the pair communicated reminded him of an old married couple; the horse had his face pressed into the boy's chest, the large blue eye that Nick could see was looking up at Jeff's eyes, which were closed as he leaned into the white-gold fringe that splayed out between Injun's ears. A few moments later, Jeff sighed contentedly, brushing away the horse's forelock and kissing the white swirl that hid underneath, earning another gentle nose to the stomach from the horse. Still smiling, he turned back to Nick, who was looking around the barn. Shoving his hands in his pockets, the blonde nudged his shoulder, wordlessly gesturing that they should go back to the little house. They leisurely headed in that direction, not really in any sort of rush; they knew they'd have the whole week together, and didn't need to keep moving at the city pace of Westerville. Country paces were nice, Nick decided, these people didn't really have a destination in mind, or a time frame to keep.

A person coming out of a small storage hallway startled Jeff, making him jump backwards into Injun. The horse didn't seem too concerned; he was too interested in sniffing whoever the other person was to notice his riders' reaction. The stranger was, presumably, an employee…or stable hand, or whatever those peoples' title was, by the way he slipped lithely behind the half-door with a bucket that Injun excitedly followed. It sounded like the contents of a maraca were being emptied into a bigger tub in the back corner of the stall, which turned out to be food, judging by the way the horse eagerly shoved his face into it.

The boy slid back out of the stall, sweeping floppy black hair away from his face with one hand, leaving bits of the horse feed behind. He flashed a friendly smile to Jeff before noticing Nick, who was still leaning on the wall beside the door, studying the newcomer.

"Oh hey, Blake, I didn't think you'd be working today! Where's Sandi?" Jeff seemed happy to see the guy, so Nick deemed it safe to encroach on their conversation a little bit.

"Oh, she had a date or something, asked me to fill in." Blake had the same drawl as Mr. Sterling, but the black hair and eyes said that he probably wasn't related to them. "Who's your friend, Jeffie?" A temporary, almost _ravenous_ glint in Blake's eye made Nick a little nervous, but he still stepped up to introduce himself, not seeing the warning glare the blonde's eyes had flashed to.

"I'm Nick, staying here for the week, we're on break. Oh, and I'm Jeff's boyfriend."

Protectively, Jeff slid an arm around his boyfriend's waist; the brunette's arms were still crossed. Blake looked a little disappointed that they were together, but he didn't seem too deterred. "Oh, well, you definitely got lucky there, Jeff." With a wink to Nick, Blake slid around them to disappear into a thin hallway, the rattling of buckets soon floating out behind him. Watching the peculiar boy disappear, Nick turned to his boyfriend, a little confused.

"Should I be worried? Or is he like that to everyone?" He tried to look through the other boy's white-blonde fringe, but it was angled to be impermeable. Jeff only tightened his grip on the brunette's waist and kissed the top of his head in response. As they headed back to the quaint house Nora's truck was parked in front of, the blonde spoke softly, almost like he was trying to talk to himself, but Nick heard him anyway.

"_You _shouldn't be worried, but maybe _I_ should."

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><p><em><strong>Hmm, I did say I'd be throwing some angst up in hurr…let's see ;)<strong>_

_****IMPORTANT** I can't make any promises that I'll be updating as regularly as I used to. Literally EVERYTHING in my life is happening in the month of May, or at least it feels like it is. But I'll try not to let you lovely people down too much!**_

_**And now, per usual, thanks to all the folks who reviewed! Shweirbones, Andromeda Rae Borealis, erikp101, gleeluver630, .Berry, EnjoyPurple9, TheShrimpyGleek, klainebowsandniff, x-Meiko-Rose-x, Lyretta, ClicheRoses, TheWarblersareTOTALLYAWESOME, glistening moon, and CheekyBrunette! Oh wow, that's a lot of people. **_

_**Ta ta for now, my lovelies, and I hope to see you all again sooner than last time :) **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**This chapter is published in honor of CheekyBrunette's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRL, I hope you enjoy it :D**_

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><p><em>You shouldn't be worried, but maybe I should.<em>

That single line concerned Nick more than any crazy things a drunk Jeff could do; did he think that some random, granted, he was cute, stable boy would drive them apart or something?

_Nah, he wouldn't think that, I bet he's just overanalyzing things. _

Jeff pushed the scarred door open, exaggeratedly motioning for Nick to go in, his sad expression replaced by a familiar playful, lopsided grin. Stepping into the small house, Nick was instantly greeted by a large number of bright-haired individuals, some with the same bright green eyes as Jeff, some with blue, and then , who was the only other dark-eyed individual in the room.

"Well hey there! You must be Nick, come on in, pop a squat, we got a whole bunch of stuff to ask you, you bein' all new to the family and whatnot." A boy older than the two of them with a very thick Southern accent greeted Nick, whisking him over to a small area full of mismatched, hole-y couches filled with similarly accented boys, all wearing the same warm, welcoming smile. "I'm Andy, the oldest. You know, I went to that fancy Dalton school too, like, five years ago? Somethin' like that? I dunno anymore, it was a while ago, and I didn't do too good. Anyway, you'll prolly wanna be knowin' who the rest of these guys are!" He went around the circle, each Sterling waving, winking, or belching in greeting when their name was called. "Let's see, we got Joel, he's next oldest after me, Mark, I don't even remember how old you are, buddy, Ryan, he's the baby, only thirteen! Then last is Ty, he's somewhere 'round y'alls age, you and Jefferson."

The process of being whisked away from his boyfriend and planted among a squadron of Southern blondes had Nick pretty disoriented, but he did manage to process everyone's names. Also, Jeff thankfully took that moment to make his presence known, coming in from the kitchen and pretending to be angry. "C'mon, _Anderson_, you know I'm not Jefferson. And besides, you got Ty and Mark backwards, _Mark _is my age, and Ty is…well, I don't know how old you are either, bro."

One of the boys, presumably Ty, just shrugged, either deeming the detail unimportant, or actually not knowing himself. Jeff shrugged too, shooing Andy out of the way to plop down next to his boyfriend, subtly lacing their fingers together as a conversation started between the five of them, smiling to himself when none of his brothers even blinked at the gesture.

Nick was trying to assimilate into the blonde family's boisterous way of conversing, but that was made significantly more challenging as he was distracted by the poignant, underlying sadness radiating off his boyfriend. For the most part, they both kept their mouths shut, Jeff less so than Nick, but Nick could tell that something had ruffled the blonde's feathers. He tried questioning the blonde with his eyes, but every time Jeff would see the inquiry, he'd quickly turn away, plastering a smile on and laughing along with his family. To Andy, Ty, and Mark, Jeff seemed completely normal. But Nick saw right through it; Jeff's eyes didn't crinkle when he smiled, and his laughs were _way _too forced. Nick was trying to come up with a subtle way to whisper something to the blonde when a new click of boots came through the front door, bringing a tepid draft in behind whoever the newcomer was. Nick would have guessed Bobbi, but the footsteps were too light.

Mark, being the one facing the door, waved to the person, drawing everyone else's attention, including Nick and Jeff's. A tall girl with long brown, naturally highlighted hair was unlacing the pair of scarred black leather boots on her feet, leaving them to flop in a corner with some other dusty shoes. When she stood up, Nick could see that she was a classically beautiful face, with angular, but not sharp, dark green eyes, a petite nose, and slight lips. Her skin was dark like Bobbi's, presumably from spending most of her time out in the sun, and her arms were matted with scars and a layer of dirt, her legs closely resembling them.

"Well, is someone gonna introduce me to the new kid, or am I gonna have to do that myself?" Her accent wasn't as thick as the boys', but it was still there. She locked eyes with Nick and smiled sweetly, vaulting over the couch Ty and Andy were on, landing so she was on her back across their knees.

"Alright, well, Nick, this is Melanie, and don't worry, she's the only sister we got, so there's only one of her we gotta deal with." Mark laughed as Melanie glared at him.

"Just call me Mel, it's easier. You must be Nick, the boyfriend, then, right?" Nick nodded. "Hm, you aren't much for words, are you? Don't worry, I'll have you talkin' by the end of the week." She winked, earning another glare, this time from Jeff. "_Relax_, Jeff, I know he's on your team. Besides, I got Blake, remember?"

Nick recoiled a bit, surprised. "Wait, _you're _dating Blake?"

Melanie nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, well, um, he just, well…never mind." The three other boys raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed with his failed coverup.

"Nick, you might not know us, but we can basically say whatever the hell we want in this house, so I don't care if you're about to tell me he felt you up, or whatever, just say it, I actually won't care."

Nick looked to Jeff for confirmation, skeptical to tell his boyfriend's sister that _her _boyfriend had just been flirting with him, but not wanting to seem closed off to them. Jeff nodded slightly. "Yeah, well, Blake was just hitting on me out in the barn, or at least I thought he was, it kinda felt like he was undressing me with his eyes, or something…." Jeff's breath caught in his throat and he quickly stood up, muttering something about going to see about getting dinner as he hastened out of the room, mistakenly heading down a hallway that definitely wasn't leading to the kitchen. Confused, Nick started after him, but Melanie motioned for him to stay where he was.

"Yeah, Blake does that to people, and I know it, but as long as he doesn't actually do anything, I don't really give a flip. He swears he doesn't like guys, which I don't believe for a second, but hey, to each his own, I say. And you'll wanna give Jeff a few minutes to calm down before you go talk to him; talking about Blake's flirting works him up." Her green gaze was apologetic, but if it was for her brother or her boyfriend, Nick couldn't tell. He thanked her before going down the same hallway Jeff had just disappeared into, thanking Ty when he called out "third door down on the right" after him.

The third door down on the right was one of the newer ones, almost as if the Sterlings had replaced it in time for their son to come home. Silently, Nick pressed his ear to the door, but only heard someone pacing inside.

"Jeff?" He softly tapped twice on the door. "Jeff, can I come in?" He heard the blonde sigh, but not angrily, he sounded more defeated than anything else, much to Nick's dismay. The footsteps grew louder as Jeff approached the door, and Nick stepped back so he wouldn't fall in when the door was opened. Consistent with his theory that the door was new, it swung open without a creak on shiny hinges.

Jeff brushed his bangs away from his eyes, which were darting around the floor, not able to meet Nick's. "Sorry I just left like that…I bet they explained all my issues with Blake to you already, didn't they?"

Nick felt his own sadness growing at the sheer amount of dejectedness he heard in his boyfriend's tone. Softly, he stepped forward, brushing Jeff's bangs away and running a finger over the blonde's cheekbone. "Can I come in?" Jeff sighed again, but stepped back anyway, out of Nick's reach.

Stepping inside, Nick shut the door and set a hand on the blonde's side, the other tilting his chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "Jeff, what's wrong?" He spoke softly, hoping that asking about Blake wouldn't get Jeff even more worked up.

Instead of answering, Jeff removed Nick's hand from his chin, placing it back at his side before weaving his own fingers into the brunette's belt loops, staring at the floor again. "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

_Just that I feel like I'm going to lose my boyfriend to a slutty, sexually disoriented stable hand. _

"No, actually, you're not, and I know you too well for you to get that by me. Please, tell me what's bothering you?"

Jeff stopped playing with his boyfriend's belt loops to start pacing again; an attempt to quell his anger from fury to sadness. He heard the wall creak as Nick leaned against it, and the blonde forced himself to stop pacing his problems out for once, stopping dead in the middle of the room. He locked eyes with his boyfriend, surprised to find concern lying beneath the brown, instead of impatience, like the rest of his family always had. "Sorry. I just hate when Blake does that to the people I know, and in this case, the person I love…it pisses me off, then I hate when I get pissed in front of people because I either get _really _angry or really ramble-y, and neither of those is very good, and god, you're laughing at me, which means I'm rambling." Jeff ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, trying to suppress the torrent of emotion threatening to take over his actions, but having little success.

He felt Nick take his hands, which he hadn't even realized were balled tightly into fists. "Jeff, Blake doesn't even have a _chance_, not when he's claiming to be straight and dating your _sister_. I'm not gonna lie and say I don't think he's attractive, but you actually have nothing to worry about. _We _are together, and I'm not stupid enough to let you go."

Jeff squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the persistent anger trying to break through. "I know…Nicky, I know we're together, but that's what he does, he gets all in your mind with his…." He gestured randomly around in the air. "Southern charm, or something, and next thing you know, he's broken up another couple. He's a freaking _homewrecker, _Nick, I'm sorry if that kind of history gets me worked up like this." The blonde took his hands back and resumed pacing.

"Jeff….I can promise you that's not going to ha-" He was cut off midsentence by Jeff wheeling around and locking their lips together, but it wasn't the normal, sweet Jeff. This Jeff was angry, and desperate to keep his boyfriend from whoever he had pegged as the bad guy. Surprised, but quickly recovered, Nick reciprocated the gesture, but not liking the sheer desperation he felt in his boyfriend. Jeff kissed him roughly, hands sliding from the brunette's shoulders down his chest, twisting in the hem of his shirt for a moment before making quick work of tossing it to the floor.

Despite the underlying need and hopelessness, Nick couldn't bite back a gasp as his boyfriend's long, warm fingers clawed down his chest. The sound seemed to egg the blonde on, as he trailed his mouth down the brunette's neck, leaving a few marks in his wake as he worked up to his boyfriend's ear, grazing it teasingly with his tongue before whispering softly.

"Nicky….please, don't let him…don't let him get between us."

Nick was thoroughly distracted at this point, but still managed to come up with a coherent response. "No, he won't, I….I promise you that."

Jeff hummed, sealing their lips together once more, the degree of urgency still as high. Nick tried to snake his tongue into the blonde's mouth, but Jeff pulled away before that could happen, smirking when his boyfriend hummed in discontent. When the blonde spoke, his lips feathered against Nick's, making his tone even raunchier than it was to begin.

"_Nicky…make love to me, please…"_

Before he could respond, their lips were sealed once more, breaking only when the blonde's shirt joined Nick's on the floor. Gathering his previously scattered mind, Nick put his hands on his boyfriend's chest, who leaned into the contact, humming in protest when he found himself being pushed away. Desperation glowed in Jeff's eyes, threatening to drill a hole in Nick's resolve.

"No, Jeff, I'm not going to sleep with you because you think some slutty stable hand is gonna get to me."

Pain coarsed over the desperation, but Jeff soon after realized that, when presented like that, he _was_ being a little stupid; were it anyone else, he'd be concerned, but he knew Nick well enough to see he was right.

"I'm….I'm sorry, Nicky, I do trust you, I really, really do, but…yeah…I can't really make excuses, but I'm so sorry, can we just maybe….pretend I'm not some insecure guy who throws himself at his boyfriend when said insecurities are obvious?" The last part came out as a blur, but Nick still understood.

"You're insecure, but you're _my _insecure boyfriend, so…no, we're not gonna say you aren't, because then you wouldn't be mine, would you?" A familiar twinkle was back to Nick's eye, and Jeff laughed softly, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

"Alright, works for me." He released him to meet the other's deep brown gaze. "So…are we good? Like, if I don't flip a shit every time Blake looks at you, you promise you won't dump me for him?"

Nick laughed at the ridiculously blunt nature of his proposition. "Yes, we're good, of course we're good."

Jeff grinned, softly kissing his boyfriend once more, as the door swung open without even a knock in warning. "WOAH, guys, break it up, dinner's ready, so come and get it." Jeff blushed and Nick laughed, nodding to Melanie, who had a hand on one hip and an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Oh, and boys? Might wanna find some shirts while you're at it. Nick, you're hot, but it looks like _someone _got…._busy _with you, know what I mean?" With a wink, she slipped out the door, padding back down the hall.

There was a moment of silence between them before they burst out laughing simultaneously, quickly muffling it to snickers, occasionally snorting when they saw the nail marks up and down Nick's chest.

"Oh, hush you, I blame you for _this_." Jeff just laughed more, tossing Nick's shirt at him, turning his own the right side out.

"Don't act like you don't like it, love." The blonde winked, twisting the doorknob, but waiting 'til his boyfriend had his shirt on.

Nick put a hand on the door, keeping it shut as he kissed the blonde, the other hand lightly tracing a line of muscle on Jeff's stomach. "Well, I must say, I liked _you _better _before _you put this on." Jeff hummed in agreement.

"Nicky, you have the worst possible timing to be a tease." Nick laughed, kissing him once more, dragging his tongue along the blonde's top lip as he did so.

"I try." He winked, pulling the door open and cavorting out to the hallway, winking at the blonde. "C'mon, you can get me back later, but right now, I'm starving."

Glaring, Jeff shut the door behind them. "Alright, so am I, but I'm holding you to that!"

Nick wove their fingers together, pulling his boyfriend towards food. "Hmm…just don't tell Mama, pretty boy…."

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><p><em><strong>Hehehe, YAY! I like publishing.<strong>_

_**A fun game in this chapter...I was recently in a musical at school, and I put in the name of one of the songs here somewhere! If you can find it, you get a plate of cookies for the week :) if you want a hint, feel free to PM me and I'll tell you the name of the musical, who sang it, whatever. If you don't care, then feel free to go on your merry way :) **_

_**I'd add who reviewed the last chapter…but alas, I don't have that kind of time as of yet. Which is also why this is unedited! For the most part. Anywho, if you reviewed the last chapter, I LOVE YOU LIKE A MATH TEACHER LOVES THE LETTER X. Later tonight, if I remember, I'll come back and put y'alls names in here. **_

_**Anywho….lastly, but not leastly, happy birthday again to CheekyBrunette! Her day of birth is why I got off my ass and finally wrote this. So thank you, chica, for bugging me :D**_


	11. Chapter 11 - Author's Note

_**GOOD EVENING, CAMPERS! **_My word, it's been a while, hasn't it? I know you're not supposed to post a chapter that's strictly an author's note, but I wanted to reach out to each and every one of you beautiful people that clicked that "follow story" button.

First: where has pastamama been? (pastamama is now SaturatedSilhouette – still me! 3) I've been in life. I don't have an excuse for not updating, nor do I care to lie and come up with one. I simply forgot about this fic and didn't really pay it that much mind, you know? It's been over a year since AYA was updated and it's been over a year since I thought about continuing it.

This brings us why I've called you all here today.

Does anyone still have interest in seeing this story progress? You probably got a notification that it's been updated with this note and were like "Act Your Age? What's that?" If that's you, that's perfectly alright (: If you actually remembered this old thing, thank you! It really makes me smile that you would remember my words after all this time.

**My question to y'all: **is it worth my time to continue and eventually close out _Act Your Age_? Please leave your thoughts in a review or a PM, and I may or may not be seeing you again soon (:

Hope y'all are doing well! It's been much too long.


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